Light
by Temperclast
Summary: It is known as "The One Magic", but long before that and in another dimension it is called "Light", and the powers that it can grant are well beyond anyone's imagination.
1. Chapter 1

Light

Chapter One

Master Makarov sat on the bar with silent tears rolling down his cheeks at the sight of his beloved, and expensive, guild being torn to shreds by a bunch of destructive brats. He sighed as he watched Elfman get thrown in to a table, shattering it to bits and flinging food all over Levy. Her yellow and red dress, not to mention her hair, was covered in the meat and potatoes that seemed commonplace for any meal at the guild. He watched as the two young shadows she had developed rose to defend her honor. Jet was the first in to the fray, standing just a bit taller than Makarov, the young boy had short orange hair and a purple short sleeved shirt and black shorts. Makarov watched him run into the seemingly growing dust cloud with Droy, a boy a bit shorter than Jet with strange black hair and a white shirt and green shorts, hot on his heels before Jet was thrown from the cloud. He impacted with Droy and they both flew rather quickly at the wall, both hitting it with a solid thump before sliding down in to the land of unconcious bliss. Levy quickly rose and ran over to the boys while gently fussing over them. Makarov rolled his eyes before looking over to the brawl. Erza and Mira both seemed to be at a standstill, if the locked arms and foreheads grinding against one another was anything to go by.

'They would both be so lovely if they could just stop fighting...' The short balding man thought to himself sadly.

He could only look over with a growing headache at all of his other children. Cana was sitting at the other end of the bar, stealing drinks from the unattended beers left by an arguing Macao and Wakaba. Lisanna and Happy had joined Levy in fussing over Jet and Droy, while ocasionally casting a worried glance over at the young pink haired boy. Elfman had stood back up and was charging towards Natsu and Gray, who were thoroghly enjoying exchanging fists. He sighed, watching the shirtless boy strike the pink haired young man across the cheek before the boy retaliated, hitting him back. They were both forced back several steps before once again moving to re-engage. Elfman made himself known by punching Gray across the head and sending him flying in to Erza and Mira. Both girls seperated as Gray flew past, only for Mira to catch him by the ankle and proceed to swing him at the young armoured redhead, who could only widen her eyes as he flew face first in to her chestplate before they both impacted the doors to the guild. The thunderous echo of the impact silencing the guild as Gray rolled over unconcious while Erza stood up slowly, her hair shadowing over her eyes.

"What's the matter, tin-can? I thought getting close to your comrades was important. Look at it this way, your hideous armour protected him from hitting the doors." The oldest of the Strauss siblings commented haughtily before slowly walking forward, the two of them now seperated by several meters. She stood proud in her black short top and short skirt. Black thigh high boots seemed to protect the most skin on the takeover mage. "Maybe the impact isn't what knocked him out. Maybe he realised he had his face in your cake fattened gut and passed out from embarassment."

"You shouldn't use comrades as weapons, Demon Slut." Erza could only look up at her with a smirk before requipping a mace and tossing it at Mira's feet. "If you were afraid and needed a weapon, all you had to do was ask."

The gasp that rang out seemed to come from the whole guild had Mira stuttering slightly with a blush before black flames began to erupt from her hands. Everyone else seemed to take this as the cue for round two, each looking to their own opponents before the air began to thicken with the rising magic level. Just as Natsu's hand caught fire and he jumped towards a startled Elfman, a colossal hand came down the squashed him to the ground. The titan form of Master Makarov stood tall, and the wave of pressure that washed over everyone forced the ongoing battles to an end. His large eyes swept over all of his children, noting the fear in their eyes as they realized that the punishments that would be dished out were going to be severe.

"Enough is enough! All of you brats can't seem to get along, even with the threat of THAT as punishment!" He took a small bit of satisfaction in watching the color drain from the faces of several of the younger faces as well as all of the older members. 'Good. Let them remember that I can be severe. I don't think I need to go that extreme, but SOMETHING needs to force about a change... But what?' The question had been plaguing the old man's mind for some time now. His children were violent, and pairing that with the seemingly growing danger they all posed as growing mages meant that he needed to break them of this as soon as possible. What could he do though? They all seemed to dead set on not getting along. 'Maybe forcing them to cooperate will get me the results I need...' His eyebrows shot up as the answer hit him. Force them to work together, and threaten any of them with THAT as punishment. He shrank down to his normal size with a victorious grin on his face as he leapt up to the second story balcony and gathered a deep breath for the oncoming speech.

"I have noticed in the last few months that all of your have become seemingly more aggressive towards eachother. Mira, you used a comrade to as a weapon against another comrade without any remorse or regret. Erza you seemingly always find a way to egg her on with your sense of justice. Natsu, don't even try to defend yourself boy!" Makarov looked to the pink haired child who looked ready to yell in his own defense. "I know you have been searching for your father more and more. I see it as very noble to want to do so, but I will NOT allow you to take the family you have here for granted. Just like with your father, you may wake one day to find one of us is no longer here, and by that I mean no longer among the living. Death is sudden and unforgiving. I know this better than most. You should all be using this time to strengthen your bonds with eachother, instead I watch as all of you fight and seem to do everything to destroy any semblance of friendship you have. It. Stops. Here." He looked around to the the children, a slight tug of guilt at seeing all of their downtrodden faces. He needed to say it though. They needed guidence and he couldn't call them his children if he wasn't willing to provide it. He inhaled before resuming his speech. "If you all refuse to work together willingly, than I am just going to have to make you brats get used eachother and hope that some friendships come from it." He closed his eyes and let the wave of protests wash over him before holding up his hand, signalling silence. The guild members smartly followed his silent call.

"Erza and Mira, you have both been unable to get along since seemingly the first day. You two will be teamed up. Natsu, I would pair you with Gray," He glanced at the boy as he bristled before the short man gave him a pointed glare and silenced him, "but seeing as Gray looks to need medical attention, I will instead be pairing you with Erza and Mira. Maybe the three of you together will make one tactical mind. So help me if you don't get along, or I find the damage you caused to be too excessive, you will all three be punished with THAT for the next two years!" He smirked at seeing the fight instantly leave them. "Elfman, you will pair up with Gray and Levy when Gray has recovered. Maybe her sharp mind will hone both of yours as well. Jet and Droy will partner with Lisanna, and Cana I will squash you if you touch my beer!" Said girl quickly let out an eep of suprise before retreating her hand from his drink and fleeing from the room. Makarov look to the young Happy and offered a small grin. "Happy, I am going to ask you to team up with Cana. She has been going solo more often and your personality may help bring her out of her shell a bit." Happy gave a quick 'Aye' before flying out after the retreating Cana. He could only grin slightly before adopting his stern gaze upon his three biggest trouble makers. "Erza, you are smart and strong. Your sense of justice and seeming need to be in charge has forced you to take on a skewed view of everyone. You see yourself as stronger to protect everyone, yet you use that same strength to isolate yourself and keep everyone away from you. Your family is what makes you strong, do not forget that." Erza cast her head down, eyes brimming with tears as she gave a slow nod. Makarov turned his gaze to Mira next. "Mira, you have developed into a strong young woman. A far cry from the timid girl that first came through those doors. You, however, seem to have overdone your confidence and become rather sinister. I can see you have a kind heart, but you hide it away from others. If only you would allow others in, you may find yourself growing so much stronger than you are. As you are now though, you will only become weaker." Mira could only look off to the side, a scowl on her face as tears slowly trailed down her cheeks.

Natsu looked up, making eye contact with the master before looking down at the ground. He didn't need to tell Natsu more than he already had. Natsu knew he had done wrong and disappointed the old man who he considered a grandfather. All he could do now was accept his punishment and move towards making himself better from it. With a resolved mind and a determined expression on his face, he looked back up to make eye contact with the master before nodding his head. The master looked down at him before reaching in to his pocket and pulling out a piece of paper before crumbling it up and tossing it to the pink haired boy. Natsu caught it and unfurled the papaer before seeing that it was a job request. 'Mages need to eliminate unknown mosters in the forests outside of Hargeon.' Natsu looked at the information before folding it up and placing it in his pocket before turning and grabbiing Erza and Mira's hands and dragging them out of the guild.

Makarov could only stare with pride as Natsu dragged the silent Mirajane and Erza out of the doors of the guild and down the road. 'That boy has the ability to bring the best out of anyone. He is the light of this guild and will grow up to be something truly great.' He could only think with pride. He stared down at the rest of his children before issuing his orders for the newly formed teams and handing out jobs.

* * *

Mirajane was the first to snap out of her stupor and quickly pulled her hand from Natsu's grip and grabbed him by his scarf. "You should watch what you grab with your grubby little hands, Natsu. It's not polite to grab a lady without her permission." She gave a smirk when he blushed and looked down, before noticing that he was still holding hands with Erza. She gave out a huff before reaching over and flicking the redhead on the forehead. She recoiled slightly as Erza fixed her with a glare before realising that she was holding hands with the young boy still. She quickly let go while a large blush spread across her cheeks. Natsu looked at them both in slight confusion before shruggin and pulling the request out of his pocket and unfolding it. "Gramps gave us this job to do. Some sort of monsters are inhabiting the forests and attacking villages around the town of Hargeon." He said while handing it over to Mira. She took it from him and read the description herself.

"Says here that there are never any bodies, just that the whole village's population seems to vanish overnight..." She couldn't help the small shiver that ran up her spine. Erza looked at the client information before grabbing the attention of the other two.

"We should start with getting ahold of the client and seeing what we can information we can bring up before going after these monsters." She said before handing the flier back to Natsu, who proceeded to fold it back up and place it back in his pocket. He nodded before looking at Mira, who seemed to be debating with herself as to joining the two of them. Natsu she could handle. Sure he was energetic and kind of annoying, but he was adorable when he cried and could always find a way to make her smile. He wasn't the issue, the red haired tin-bitch was the issue. So self righteous with a permanent 'holier than thou' outlook. She couldn't stand her. She straightened her posture before looking Erza in the eye. The redhead seemed to see the challenge in her eyes and met her gaze with growing anger. "Something on your mind?" Erza asked with no small amount of venom in her voice. Mira glared right back. "Yea," she replied in a cold tone. "I don't want to work with you. You'll just get in my way and keep me from doing my job." She left the challenge in the open and smirked internally when Erza seemed to bristle before moving to stand just a few feet, both of them now standing off against eachother with just a few feet seperating them. The air seemed to chill as they both began to raise their magic power. Before they could clash, Natsu jumped between the two of them, hands raised.

"Stop!" he yelled desperately. 'I need them to work together or Gramps will have my head' he thought to himself, remembering the two year threat of THAT if they couldn't work together. He quickly pointed that out to both of them, causing them both to visibly blanch before standing down though the glares continued. He sighed in relief before looking between the two of them and speaking calmly. "I don't like this more than either of you do, but Gramps will have all of our asses if we don't at least try. I don't know about you, but I have much better things to do with my time than stare angrily and await my punishment becuase I don't like my role in this all. Let's just try to do this. who knows, we may even learn to get along a bit better..." He left the end as a sort of question, hoping they could start to read in to it enough and agree. He wasn't happy about it either, but he was at least willing to try. The two girls could only stare in shock. Not only had Natsu managed to say something not idiotic, but it was also something they could kind of agree on. They made eye contact one more time, each noting the displeasure in the others eye before slowly nodding to eachother. They both looked down at the hopeful, and slightly fearful face of Natsu before each sighing.

"I guess we can at least try." Erza said with a nuetral expression on her face.

"Yeah. I guess I can go along with this. At least I'm not paired with completely weak people." Mira gave off a slight smirk as Erza frowned at her words. They made eye contact before looking away with a huff. Natsu could only sigh as they began walking towards the train station. As much as he hated trains, he wanted to get this job done as quickly as he could. After all, maybe the old man would realize his mistake in all of this and let everyone go back to being the way that they were before. With a hopeful hop in his step, he bounced towards the train station followed by two unhappy women.

"I'm all fired up!" He could only exclaim while the two women just sighed at the young boy's eager idiocy.

* * *

For all of the eager attitude that he had hours prior, Natsu was currently on his back staring up at the afternoon sky as his stomach settled. The train ride had been hell. As soon as it had started chugging along, his motion sickness kicked in and he slumped down in his bench before falling against the disgusted Mirajane. The oldest Strauss continued to prove herself nothing like her younger sister, as she violently shoved Natsu across the car and in to the dozing Erza. Said girl could only squawk in indignation at her personal space being suddenly invaded before slapping Natsu back across the booth, before Mirajane pushed him back. This continued for several minutes before Erza finally smacked the ill boy down to the floor of the car and left him there as he curled in to a ball around her legs. He lie in agony, curled into a ball around the redheads feet for the rest of the train ride.

As he gained back his sense of self, he saw two silhouettes appear above him like two angels to bring him to heaven. "So pretty.." he commented before a foot came down on his cheek and forced his gaze to the side. Mira and Erza both looked at eachother, large blushes on their faces before glaring back down at the boy who had presumably been trying to peek up their skirts. He struggled for several moments under Mirajane's heeled boot, but his strength had yet to return and he flailed uselessly for several moments before giving up with a weak groan. She pulled her boot off of his face before Erza grabbed him by the scarf and pulled him up and slinging an arm over her shoulder. She looked at Mira before nodding ahead as they both began to walk towards the client's home on the outskirts of Hargeon. By the time they had arrived, Natsu had regained his composure and was walking on his own, though he made sure to give a thanks to Erza who nodded her head at him as the continued. Once they neared the home of the client, they walked up the small path leading to the cottage. It stood, made of logs as a small trail of smoke came from the chimney and the smell of cooking meat and baked bread filled their nostrils. The young dragon slayer's stomach growled loudly as they both walked up to the door and knocked. It took several moments before an elderly man opened the door. He wore a brown short sleeved shirt and had on black pants. His face had several wrinkles and a large scar just under the left corner of his lip down to his chin and partially down his neck. He looked at the three of them with questions in his eyes before he caught sight of the job request flyer. His eyes lightened before he silently waved them in.

"We're from Fairy Tail, sir. We were assigned this job and have come to see if you can give us any more information on these monsters." Erza spoke after a moment of silence. The man seemed to regard the three young ones for a moment before nodding his head. "My name is Edward, and those monsters... They're very large," he began. "They are big monsters. Made of something metal and harder than steel. They seems to screech and chirp as they move. They look to fire a magic I've never seen before, they carry these strange looking guns. Not like I've seen many before, but they all have a style y'know?" He seemed to be getting more animated as he moved his hands around wildly. "They just shrugged off all the spells from the wizards that lived in the village. They weren't no pushovers, y'know. They had to be strong to take care of bandits, but these metal monsters just took the hits like nothing and kept moving in. Slowly. With purpose. They took people and just vanished in a beam of light. Just like they appear. There's just these sparks of lightning and then a flash of light and suddenly there's 20 of the monsters. I traded with these villagers for well over 20 years. Thought I'd seen most types of magic, but these monsters have something I can't even describe. It's like one minute they're there, then they grab someone and vanish in a boom of light. no direction or trail. Just... gone..." the old man finished weekly as he looked at the three young teens before him. He let out a bit of a sigh of relief that at least these mages hadn't lauged in his face like the previous guilds and Rune Knights had. They had merely claimed it to be the work of bandits or slavers. He relayed this information to them. They nodded before Mira spoke up.

"So how exactly do you know what these things look like?" Mira stated with a curious gaze. "I mean you say these things just take people and disappear. That means they can tell where people are, so why didn't they take you?" The man looked nervous before slumping to his knees and sobbing.

"They didn't get me becuase there was only one left... And it took my son... They didn't take me because there was nothing left to take me... They got what they wanted, and didn't seem to care about anything more than that. It's almost like you treat animals to slaughter. You only need so many, no need to take more in case you need to come back. They were methodical and didn't take me because they didn't need me. I'm sure they'll be back for me if they ever need more people though..." He looked up to them with an almost manic expression. "Please find them. The people and my son. His name is Don. He just turned 20! Please find my boy!" He yelled at them before slumping over and falling unconcious. It seemed his exhaustion had caught up with him. Natsu looked to Erza and Mira, who quickly exhcanged glances. Despite the warmth of the room, they all felt a chill pass through them. What kind of monster was this? What kind of monster can teleport and acts this methodical? They quickly decided to head to one of the abducted villages to find some answers.

* * *

The walk didn't take that long. The closest village that they could determine from a map was a little over an hours walk to the north. They made the journey and came to a sight that chilled them. The village was empty and silent. Not even animals were in the area, as if they sensed some kind of danger still in the area. They investigated the small thatch huts before moving towards the center. There were burns in the wall, yet no flames had come from them. It was as if they had burned insanely hot before cooling instantly. There were scorched patches of earth surounded by snad that had been superheated to glass in small chunks. It seemed that the lightning energy the man was talking about had caused this, and the blaster caused the burns on the walls. They all came to another startling realization. There was no blood to be found. There was evidence of a struggle, basket were overturned and many weapons and farm tools lie broken on the ground. Erza and Mira felt a shiver run up their spines as Natsu was felt something in his blood chill.

"We need to find some kind of clue. Natsu, can you smell anything? Any sign of a fleeing villager or an enemy trail?" Erza asked in a steady voice, hand resting on her sword. Natsu raised his head before grunting out and shaking his head. "It's like the old man said," He started with a small amount of anxiety in his voice. "They're just gone. Everyone."

"Well I'm going to call it here!" Mira spoke suddenly. "This job is well deserving of an S-Rank and we should not be here. I say we head back to town and get ahold of Master. Maybe he'll send in Gildarts to handle this or something, but I feel like this is way above us."

Erza looked to Natsu and they both nodded to eachother. While Erza and Mira were both S-class wizards, they were both fresh S-Class mages and needed more experience before handling something like this. This almost seemed more like a job for a wizard saint than a private guild. They both looked to Mira and nodded at her before the three of them began to head out of the village. As they neared the entrance, they heard a slight crackling as the air around them seemed to become laced with wisps of black energy. They turned in time to see a flash of light before five of the monsters appeared before them. They seemed mechanical in nature, with each of them having a single red eye in the center of what was their faces that glowed in the evening light. The first three in front stood tall with large plates seeming to adorn thier heads, while one of the others stood like them but had two large metal horns coming out the side of it's head. The last one stood taller than the rest of them, with a beady red eye shining under a dome of metal covering it's head. All but the largest one had a large core of light in their center. It burned bright and white in a seemingly tainted light. They all seemed to raise and adjust in to a combat stance as they focused on the three mages.

Erza was quick to draw her sword and hop away from the group, with two of the plate headed machines following. Mira transformed in to her satan soul and flew over the group, with the largest of the groups following her. That left Natsu facing the horned one and the last of the plate headed machines. They were quick to begin their methodical march towards him, with the horned one facing him but moving away. Natsu heard a whirring sound before a beam of red energy barely missed his head, slamming in to a tree behind him and punching a perfectly circular hole through it. He gulped before having to focus back on the plate headed one as it started to fire from it's own weapon. It fired several shots, seemingly high in damage but slow enough to dodge and not accurate enough at the distance he was at. He quickly lit his fists on fire before charcing at the plate headed machine, adopting his well taught stance and blowing a fire dragon's roar at the object. It seemed to analyze the oncoming attack before hunkering down to protect it's core as the attack hit. When the flames cleared away, it revealed the machine to be slightly scorched and steaming, but relatively unharmed. It stood back up as it continued to march towards him, slowly and without hurry. 'This is bad.' Natsu thought to himself as he looked over at Mira. It seemed whatever attacks she was launching at the largest of the machines was bouncing hamlessly off of a purple aura that surrounded it. Erza wasn't fairing much better, only succeeding at keeping the machines at bay with her Heaven's Wheel armour, but not dealing any damage herself. He watched her sword slide harmlessly along the steel of one of the machines faces with so much as a scratch. They both looked to be running out of energy as the fighting continued, while Natsu couldn't seem to have a moment to think for himself between dodging the horned machine's beam attacks and trying to figure out how to harm the plate headed machine that had begun to crowd his space. He kept watching as every attack he launched bounced off without any damage before he noticed something. It kept covering it's core before each attack! 'That's it!' he thought to himself as he charged a flame in his fist and ran towards the plate headed machine. As it reared back to strike him, he lunged forward and slammed his hand in to the core of the machine as hard as he could. The core burst a bright white liquid all over his arm before the machine fell over, the red light in it's eye fading as it died. He grinned before running to the horned machine and pulling back to do the same thing, only to be blasted backwards from a wave of purple energy from its hand. He felt himself fly backwards as his scarf came unfurled from around his neck and fell to the ground. 'I'll get it when I'm done here.' he thought to himself. He needed to distract it before he could attack. That purple energy stung, and it felt like it penetrated clean through him and left him slightly chilled. He reared his head back and launched another roar, only for the machine to crouch in to a defensive position and seemingly catch fire suddenly. His attack nullified, he charged up his fire. He focused as much magical energy as he could to his fist before charging towards the machine as the flames on it extinguished and it moved to stand. His fist punched clean through it's core, and he turned to run towards Erza as the machine fell over dead.

Erza was not having an easy fight. All of her strongest armours weren't even putting a dent in these machines. 'That old man wasn't kidding.' she thought grimly. 'I've spent my money on the best steel that can be found in all of Fiore, yet it's doing nothing to these things.' She raised her sword to charge once more before Natsu flew in and smashed his hand through the core of the machine that was sneaking behind her. She turned her head as she watched him pull his bloodied fist from it's core, before setting it aflame and cauterizing the wounds. She widened her eyes as she finally registered that he had killed one of the machines. She went to speak before she was enveloped in a purple light and flying forward as she felt her bones chill and creak. She hit the ground and rolled to a stop just in front of Natsu, loooking at his shocked expression blearily before shutting her eyes and falling unconcious.

Natsu was quick to try and get to her aid, but the last of the plate headed machines appeared before him and knocked him back with another wave of purple energy from it's mechanical hand. He felt his bones creak in protest before hunching over and coughing up blood. He saw spots begin to form in his vision as the machine began to march towards him. 'No!' He thought with despair. 'It can't end like this... I still have to find Igneel...' That thought seemed to scream his body back to life as his vision sharpened. He felt his limbs tighten and the skin around his eyes seemed to tighten as well. His senses became sharp as he felt his power grow in him. 'It burns' he thought in mild fascination. He had lived his entire life and never felt the heat of being burnt, being a dragon slayer of the fire element made him somewhat immune to it. He looked down to his arms to see his skin darkening slightly with scales crawling up his arms from his fingers. The machine halted it's progression and seemed to still as it analyzed the teenager. It chirped several times before a loud screech was emitted by it. It reared itself back in to a combat stance, but was not fast enough as Natsu tore his fist through the machine, cutting it completely in half. It's eyes dimmed before flickering out completely as Natsu sprinted towards Mirajane and the last of the machines. He idly wondered how many there were, as the old man claimed to have seen over 20 when he witnessed the attack. He shuddered at the thought. They were having issues with just five of them, he couldn't imagine the state of this nation if an entire army of these machines invaded. With that in mind, he doubled his pace towards the eldest Strauss.

Mira was panting in exhaustion. She could barely stand, and breathing alone hurt her immensly. She kept pressure on her ribs, feeling that at least a few of them were broken. It didn't matter how hard she had hit this machine, it didn't flinch. It didn't even seem to register her attacks, which infuriated her to no end. It didn't even move to fight her until she was well within it's range, and all it would do is rear back and smack her away. Mira learned her lesson after her thrid attempt and decided to stand back and watch for any sign of weakness. She looked over and watched Natsu's sudden growth in power, which seemed to easily dwarf hers, as he tore the last of the machines in half by the downed redhead before rushing over to her. The machine had devoted it's entire focus on Natsu after he had destroyed his first opponents. 'How dare this thing ignore me!' She thought in anger. 'I'm an S-class mage and I am not to be taken lightly!' She growled lightly as she moved to stand just as Natsu landed next to her. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, but kept a majority of his focus on the large machine in front of him. He seemed to be thinking of something with how intently he was staring between her and the machine. He seemed to come to some sort of a conclusion as he let out a long sigh before focusing his gaze ahead.

"Mira..." His tone seemed strong, if not slightly resigned. She focused her full attention on him, her pain forgotten in her shock at the tone she had never heard from him before. His gaze continued to stare at the machine that analyzed him, the only sound it made were several ground out and deep screeches and chirps but it did not otherwise move. "Mira, focus!" He snapped at her again. She shook her head before replying "Yes?" she managed to grind out. she didn't realize that speaking would hurt this bad. "Mira I need you to grab Erza and get back to the city and call up Master and try the Council as well." He spoke in a low and even tone.

She couldn't believe her ears. This was the isiot that hated the council and refused help in any fight, and here he stood telling her to retreat for help. If she hadn't been with him the whole time, she would have assumed him to be someone else. She had never seen this side of him before, it left her confused on just who Natsu Dragneel was. She went to shake her head before he spared a moment to look at her. She gasped as she stared in to yellow eyes with reptillian slits in them. They betrayed no warmth or emotion of any kind. They were they eyes of a predator and seemed to instantly drain the fight out of her.

"Oh and grab my scarf. I'll be right behind you guys after I finish with this pile of scrap, but the guild and council need to know about these things. You're in no condition to fight and Erza is down for the next few hours. This is just the smartest move. Just head on ahead and i'll catch up in a bit" He grinned weakly at her.

"You promise?" She cursed herself for how weak she sounded in that moment. How she sounded like a helpless little girl. She cursed even more that she could do nothing to help him.

"Promise." He returned his attention to the hulking machine and it continued to just stand there and observe him. Mira nodded before flying over and grabbing Erza and flew out of the village, flicking her tail to grab Natsu's scarf as she went. She flew as fast as she could with her current load. As she traveled further away, she heard the sounds of a violent clash before the ground shook and a large flash of light enveloped everything around her. She felt the tears roll down her cheeks as she continued down the road towards the city. She had one thing that she was told to do, and she was going to complete it.

Mira made it back to the city of Hargeon and called Makarov as soon as she could. The council was then promptly notified and Rune Knights were dispatched to the area. The bodies of the machines were bagged up and taken away, likely to be studied, and extensive searches happened through the surrounding forests for any sign of Natsu. After two weeks of searching no sign of Natsu Dragneel was found. Mira and Erza seemed to take it the hardest in the following weeks, neither left their respective homes and said more than a few words to anyone who checked in on them. Happy had opted to stay with a grieving Lisanna and spend time with the silent Mirajane in their home. Erza had taken Natsu's scarf after awakening with intent to give it to him, along with her thanks. The fact that she may never get to thank him ate away at her. She felt weak. 'Just like the the Tower all over again...' she thought with dull eyes.

* * *

It was another two weeks of searching before the search was called off. With heavy hearts, the Council had informed Fairy Tail of their decision. With all of the evidence presented, the council decided to rule that Natsu Dragneel had sacrificed his life. With heavy hearts, Fairy Tail held a funeral for the young dragon slayer. Many cursed nature itself for being such a beatiful day. The sun was out and there was a cooling breeze. It was perfect weather for relaxing or fishing, yet this was a day of mourning. The funeral was large, as even Gildarts had been recalled by Makarov. He stood with tears streaming down his face as Lisanna held on to his cloak and quietly sobbed in to it. Most of the guild was present for this sad yet beautiful day. The only ones to not show were the still isolated Mirajane Strauss and Erza Scarlet. The Council had arrived and honored him by announcing how he would be considered a hero for not only his sacrifice, but the invaluable knowledge on a never before seen enemy.

It did nothing to quell the pain in the hearts of Fairy Tail.

* * *

Decided that I would try this out. Leave me a review if you liked it and any questions you may have and I'll see about updating it from there. Don't be afraid to PM me, I'll try to respond as much as I can to the VALID question or comments.

Till next time,

Temperclast


	2. Chapter 2

A shorter chapter so soon, but it is still relatively long in length and it's just sitting here in my mind. I should have mentioned earlier, but to answer the guest reviewers question, Natsu will be wielding several weapons as well as wearing the armour of the guardians.

Light

Chapter 2

* * *

Natsu awoke with a groan after having a nightmare. He moved to wipe his face, only to find that he couldn't move his arms. He struggled as much as he could before hearing a loud screeching sound and stopped. He remembered that sound. It was the sound that all of those machines made in his dream. In a panic, he looked around frantically to see where he was and felt his gut sink in horror.

It wasn't a dream.

There were several triangular shaped machines that were hovering around him, eyes glowing in the pure darkness as his eyes tried to adjust. They had tentacles wrapped aound his arms, holding them spread above his head, his legs bound tightly as he was held to a stone slab. His clothes were in tatters, his shirt completely gone and his shorts just whole enough to keep him modest. He struggled in vain as the machines whirred and screeched at him, but continued to hold him in place. Just as he was about to open his mouth, a terrible shocking sensation fired through his spine. He screamed in pain as the machines registered his pain filled scream with several satisfied clicks before reapeating the process all over his body. They seemed to shock every inch of him, and analyzed all of his responses. This continued for hours for the poor pink haired child, only for it to fade to black. He vaguely felt the machines flipping him on to his stomach before the sweet darkness of sleep overtook him.

He awoke several hours later to a blinding white light only to find himself held on his stomach. He tried his best to look around, only to have a metal tentacle wrapped around his forehead, bending it up painfully to stare in horror at the sight before him. A large machine was floating towards him, huge panels of light lazily circling it. It looked almost like an upside down pryamid. It floated at a massive 20 feet tall, it's top large and wide as it slowly tapered down in size as it came closer to the ground. It was covered in a thick green moss, the tendrils hanging off of it in dreads. He stared at the machine as it's huge red eye gazed upon him in cold calculation, just like all of the other machines. He could only stare as the large machine brought itself closer down to his level, or maybe he was being raised to it, he didn't know anymore. The machine game him regard in the form of a metal tentacle coming from underneath its main body. It slowly moved the tentacle towards Natsu as he began to struggle, every fiber of his body telling him to not let that thing touch him. He couldn't move though, as the tentacles from the other machines held him in place. He felt the could steel of the tentacle as it pressed in to the base of his neck before a searing pain dug in where it touched. He felt the machine as several smaller lines came from the tentacle and burrowed in to his spine. He felt them scrape against the bones of his spine before hearing a low hiss as the tendrils finally made contact with the stem of his brain. His screams died as he could only stare ahead, eyes wide and mouth agape in silent agony and lightly convulse as the machine connected it's tendrils to his brainstem. He felt his vision fade before everything seemed to brighten instantly and he heard a dark voice in the back of his mind.

 **'Are you receiveing this communicaton, subject?** '

The voice sounded as if it was being spoken by billions at once. He could only listen in mild fascination as the voice repeated several more times. He recieved a powerful shock, bringing him back in to the reality of what was happening. He tried to speak several times, but finding that he couldn't left him to project his responses mentally.

'Yes. I can hear you. What to you want? Where are the others? Why are you doing this?' The questons he thought were limitless.

 **'We want answers. We seek to know.** ' The voice spoke calmly. It did nothing to stop pain screaming in his mind though.

'What answers do you want.'

 **'What force did you use to fight me.'**

Natsu could only pause for a moment. He hadn't fought a machine that looked like this. He made that thought known. The machines around him whired and chirped in perfect synchronization.

 **'You fought ME. Or perhaps with your limited understanding "us" would be better for you. All you fought was me. All that you destroyed was me. For they are me, and I am all of them.** ' The voices seemed almost proud of that. Natsu couldn't stop his thoughts at that point. They were all part of one large mind. One huge collecton of disposable puppets linked to eachother and connected to one. All controlled by one. He felt his blood chill as the machine whirred again.

 **'How did you manage to destroy parts of me?'** The voice demanded. **'None, but the wielders of light, are able to harm me. Your pathetic allies were unable to successfully damage my most basic units, and yet you were able to destroy all but my strongest foot soldier. How?** ' This question was paired with a devastating shock. Natsu couldn't even scream in agony as the pain tore through him. He gave a small shudder once the electricty had left his body.

'I dont know!' He thought. The machines all chirped before he contiued. 'I just used my magic and hit them in that white light the had.' The machines all began to click and whir before he was electrocuted again.

 **'Are there others who can use the bastardized light like you can? Are they stronger than you, or are you the best they had? Give me the answers I seek and your death will be swift.** ' The machine spoke in to his mind, overwhelming all of his thoughts. He took a breath, seemingly the first he'd had since he woke, before thinking of all the other mages like him.

'There are others as strong as me. Some even stronger than me. Some who I can't even touch, not to mention the dragons.' He thought fondly of his father, the thought bringing him a small bit of relief as he remembered his time with him before his disappearence. The machines all fell silent.

 **'I shall be the one to validate your truth, subject.** '

Before he could question it, his brain felt like it was on fire. He saw every one of his memories, of Igneel and Makarov. His joining of Fairy Tail and seemingly something even before Igneel. He saw a dark haired man in robes, and himself as some sort of demon as they carved a bloody swath across the world. Before he could question that, he began to see things that were about the monster questioning him. He peered in to it's mind as it searched his. He saw entire worlds crumble before it's might. He saw countless dead as the landscapes burned, before he was met with a sight that haunted him. A large black mass floated in the middle of a strange ring the size of a large mansion. He watched it undulate and a countless amount of moss covered machines stood knelt before it, arms cast out in praise as they stood frozen, staring with dead eyes at what could only be their mind. Their god. He peered on to the sight for several moments before he heard a deep rumble. His mind pulled him back though, once more showing him all of his memories at once before he was pulled back in to reality. The machines whirred in anger at him before he was electrocuted again. Only one word was in his mind.

'Mars'

 **'You saw things you shouldn't have, subject. You gazed upon me in the third dimension and saw my Black Garden as well as my conquests of entire universes.** ' Natsu couldn't form words. This being existed with the ability to not only go between galaxies, but entire universes as well. His mind whirred as he suddenly realized his sudden ability to comprehend this being. His peering to the void seemed to have forced his brain to function on a level higher than he thought possible for himself. The machine acknowledged this as well.

 **'You have taken something from our exchange. I will be reclaiming that soon, but for now you will be stored away for further questioning. Take a bit of solace, subject. Your universe will be left alone until I have pulled apart your "magic" as you call it, and gain the best possible understanding before I eliminate it. For now, they are safe, but that will change once you are done answering all of my questions. Now we are done for now, I don't need your body exploding from my questioning before I am done.** '

The machine retracted it's tendril from Natsu's brain and the machine quickly vanished in a burst of light. The three smaller machines proceeded to carry him to a seperate area of his new prison. He was tossed to the ground and held there as all of the machines released him and floated across the room. The stayed and hover by the only entrance of the room before spinning quickly, deploying in to a combat stance and deploying three large plates on their bodies out. He watched as they semed to resemble some sort of blooming flower before he lie back down on the ground. He could feel moss underneath him, acting as some sort of poor cushion for him as he drift off to sleep. He had nothing but time now. Time to wait for them to get everything from him. Time for him to wait until they no longer needed him. His eyes closed as he hoped for some sort of miracle.

* * *

Kabr could only lean against the destroyed car as he waited for his Ghost to finish whatever scan it was doing. He had been leading a standard scouting party across Venus, only for his Ghost to suddenly materialize and begin a scan. It had claimed that an anomaly had suddenly appeared near the Citadel.

That had been ten minutes ago.

Here he sat, his scouting team all around him equally relaxing as well, though equally perplexed. They had detected anomalies near the citadel several times before, but the Ghosts had all claimed that it was a false reading after a few seconds of scanning. This was the first time that anyone had seen a Ghost take this long to scan anything. As Kabr was about to speak up, his Ghost suddenly turned and faced him.

"We need to go to the Citadel. There is something sentient there, not Fallen, and it is ion severe distress. It may be another guardian, though the light I'm detecting is extremely weak. We have to help whoever is there" Kabr could only stare at his Ghost. It seemed desperate. He nodded to it before it vanished and he looked at his scouting team. They all stood up and began to check their weapons. Kabr checked his auto rifle before looking to all of them.

"Ok your all heard the Ghost. We need to go and at least investigate what could be causing this reading. Be ready though, Vex activity seems to have spiked in the area. If the teams reports from the Clovis Bray facility on Mars is anything to go by, the Citadel is housing some kind of Vex being. The reports called this place 'The Vault of Glass'." The scouts all looked to eachother in silence before nodding to him. They all summoned their sparrows, a craft that was like a hovering rocket with handlebars and climbed on to them. Kabr saw them ready to go, and summoned his before climbing on and leading the way towards the Citadel.

The ride took several minutes, but they got by unharmed. The Fallen were involved in some sort of civil war with some Awoken woman, meaning most of thier posts were abandoned or at least poorly manned. Kabr was glad for this. Had they been fully manned, they definitly wouldn't have made it to the Citadel. The fallen seemed to be organizing themselves better more recently, if the sightings of house banners and fortified outposts were anything to go by. They rode to the Citadel and hopped off of their sparrows. The few Vex that were there were quick work, and they were approaching a cave to the side of the massive doors that led in to the supposed Vault. Kabr took instant notice of the unique looking Harpies that stood guard over the room. The strange thing was that they were facing in towards the cave, not out towards the combat that was happening. He sighted in his rifle beofre opening up on the unsuspecting Harpys. The first two were exploded before they could turn, while the third turn and began to open fire. Kabr sprinted towards the machine before pulling his fist back and driving it clean through the Hapy's eye. He felt it go limp around his arm, and shook it off before a thought hit him.

'Armour made from a vex... hmm...'

He quickly shook his head as he focused back on the subject of his scans. It appeared to be a young teenager in ragged clothes. Blood trailed down the back of his neck as he lie panting shallowly and quickly. He was adorned in a pair of ragged shorts, and seemed to have been put through the ringer, if the blood and the cuts and scrapes on his hands were anything to go by. His team was quick to catch up, and they could all only stare as Kabr emerged from the cave, carrying an unconcious and beaten teenager in his arms. They all quickly rushed up to see what had happened, each firing off questions before Kabr could answer them. He could only sigh before silencing them all with a quick 'Shut the hell up!'. The silence that followed allowed him to gather his thoughts and put his priorities in order.

"We all have questions, but I don't have ANY answers. This boy might though. Our best bet is to get somewhere safe, treat his wounds and wait for him to wake up. Maybe he can shed some light on just what the hell he is doing in a place that's been dead and abandoned by humans for a couple centuries..." Everyone seemed to nod at that and summon their sparrows. Kabr summoned his and set Natsu on it before climbing on behind him and grabbing the handlebars. They all decided to head back to the deploy point, as it seemed the safest places and was well stocked with emergency supplies. Kabr looked down to the young boy with pink hair. Whoever he was, he had to be special for the Vex to guard him from escape and keep him alive like they seemed to be doing.

The ride didn't take to long and they arrived at camp as the sun was setting. Kabr noticed the boy hadn't moved since he had found him. He would've thought him dead if he hadn't maintained shallow breathing the entire time. They set him down and began to treat his wounds, noting the worst one was at the back of his neck. They treated the wounds and laid the boy on a spare mat as few scouts stepped out for night guard while everyone waited for morning.

Maybe the boy would wake up and give them some answers.

The morning arrived with shock to Natsu. He had expected to wake to his mossy ground and machine captors, certainly not a bed roll and several armoured figures sitting around and laughing. He feigned sleep as he continued to listen to what they were talking about. 'Maybe I can figure out where I am, and then get home from there.' He thought with no small hint of optimism. He slowly rolled his head to try and get a better angle at which to listen to the strangers, before an echoed sigh and a shift next to him caused him to jump slightly. He slowly turned his head, only to find a hulking figure in armour leaning against a wall and staring at him. Or maybe near him, he couldn't really tell with the man's helmet. He took stock of the man as he silently stared at the teen. He stood a solid six and a half feet of metal. He wore a chest piece with hoses coming out of the center of it and running over his shoulder and in to some kind of pack on his back. His legs were made of some black pants tucked in to heavy boots, with plates of armour covering his thighs and completely encasing his calves. His arms had a black long sleeved shirt and similar styled plates encompassing his wrists and two more covering his shoulders. On his head was a metal helmet, with a single line splitting it in half up the middle, and a small antennae on his left ear. The entire armour was painted in a brass and silver tone, with a small cape draping off his belt and covering his right leg. He held a strange gun in his hand by his side, very different from the ones he had seen Bisca using. It was sleek, with a dark black colour to it, and the word 'SUROS' was written on the front part of the weapon. All in all, the man posed a threatening sight.

Kabrcocked his head slightly at Natsu's silent examination of him, nearly chuckling when his eyes finally rested on his gun. He had to give the boy some credit for recognizing a good weapon, and as far as Kabr was concerned the Suros Regime was one of the best in existence. He had one of the maybe 50 models in known existence, and he had only fallen harder for the weapon that saved his skin on more than one occasion. The man was about to say something when the boy suddenly leapt up, and swung a flame covered fist at his head. Kabr only had a split second to raise his own electrically charged fist to meet the teenager's and know him on his ass, only to also find himself staring up as a flame enhanced fist hit his chest. His eyes widened in recognition, 'A Sol strike? Is this boy a disciple of the Sol titans?!' He continued to ponder this as he lie on his back and stared at the Venus sky. He vaguely heard the boy cussing and yelling as the other members of his scouting party wrestled him down to the ground and held him in place. Kabr stood and examined his chest plate. There was a scorch mark surround a small fist shaped dent in the center. He let out a low whistle as he examined it, this was Molniya armour the kid had damaged. He had fought guardian in the crucible that didn't have guns strong enough to scratch it. 'This kid is something else...' he could only stare at the struggling teen with an impressed gaze. He strode forward and knelt before the teen, a grin growing under his helmet at the fire in the boy's eyes.

"Talk to me kid. What the hell were you doing so far away from the order, and not even in armour? Is this some sort of right of passage?" Kabr could only ask with a small amount of hope. If he could gain even a slight insight in to the Sol Order of titans, than maybe he could try and reestablish contact with them and return them to Earth. Their power was sorely missed, and would help to quell the unease between all of the factions. The boy could only stare in confusion before finally speaking his mind.

"What the hell are you talking about? What is this Order you're talking about? Where in Fiore am I? Are we anywhere near Magnolia?" His eyes were wild as he belted out questions. Kabr could only stare in confusion before holding out his hand and summoning his Ghost. The being appeared to float in his palm and stare at Natsu, before turning to him. "This is the anomaly I detected. I ran a reference on the places he spoke of; and while 'Magnolia' matched to a long extinct breed of Earth flower, the was no information on this 'Fiore' that he spoke of."

Kabr could only nod and dispel his Ghost before signaling the others to release him. The similarly dressed titans all slowly let off of him, one even helping him stand. Kabr nodded to the fire that the others were sitting at, before walking over and sitting down on a rotted log in front of it. Natsu looked around, noticing the other armoured figures were staring at him, and while he couldn't see their faces, he could tell from their body language that they were ready to pounce. He weighed his options before sighing and walking over to sit on a boulder across from the armoured man. The man pulled one of the crates near him before pulling out a silver package and tearing it open. Natsu found his stomach growling as the scent of food hit his nostrils. He hadn't eaten since the day that he and Erza and Mira had taken that job. He felt a pang of sadness hit him at the thought of them. 'I hope they got away alright...' he thought in dejection. He took the silver packet from the man and quickly wolfed it down. Kabr chuckled as the teenager ate that and three more of the rations before finally resting back on his boulder. He looked to Kabr and sighed before motioning the man to talk. Kabr huffed lightly before starting his line of questions.

"What is you name?"

"I am Natsu Dragneel."

"Good start. I am Kabr. I'm a Storm class Titan. What class are you?"

"Class? I suppose High B class. Maybe A. I do fight a lot and train to get better." Kabr could only let out a confused chuckle.

"I meant warrior class boy. Are you a Titan, or Hunter, or even a Warlock? Also, where do you come from?"

"I don't know what any of those are. I'm a mage. A dragon slayer, to be precise. And I come from Fairy Tail!" He declared somewhat proudly, showing off the red tattoo on his shoulder. Kabr and the others could only stare at the boy in confusion. Kabr nodded his head slowly.

"Oka~y... let's try some other questions. I saw your magic is Sol. Does that mean that you hail from the order on Mercury? Only a Sol titan can hit me like you did."

"Mercury? Where on Earthland is that? Is that like a town in Fiore or something, 'cause I've never heard of it before." Natsu stared at the man who just seemed shocked at his answers. He shook his head once more as Natsu crossed his arms and gained an annoyed scowl. Kabr looked at him and placed a hand on his face.

"Mercury is a planet, kid. They train Titans to harness their light and cast Sol attacks. You've got to be from there. Where is your Ghost anyway, and how in the name of the Nine did you end up on Venus with no weapons or armour?" Kabr stood and began to pace around the camp as Natsu stared at him. Natsu decided to indulge himself as the strange man paced by inhaling the camp fire. Kabr and the others could only stare in shock as the teenager seemed to suck the flames in to his mouth before sighing in satisfaction and patting his gut. Kabr gawked at him before sighing and sitting back on his log and looking at the silent and happy Natsu.

"Tell me everything kid. Where you came from. How you got here. Who you are. Everything."

Natsu nodded and started from the top. He told of waking up at his house and walking to the guild in Magnolia. He spoke of his fights and the Master putting a halt to it. He told Kabr about the job request and travelling to Hargeon with Mira and Erza. He spoke fondly of them, and of how strong they were. Before he knew it, the others had come and sit with him as he regaled them in his tale. He spoke of the machines, only pausing a Kabr informed him that they were called Vex. He broke down the known classes and Natsu nodded at the description of the Minotaurs, Harpys, Goblin, and Hobgoblin classes. And even felt a small tingle of fear in the base of his skull as Kabr described the deadly Hydras as well. Natsu told them of his sacrifice, and the following communications that he had with the Hydra and the Black Heart. They could all only stare in shock at him as he told them of all the conversation that ended with him falling unconscious and waking in their camp.

"And I guess that pretty much sums it up." He spoke in a somewhat solemn voice. He stared at the ground before raising his eyes to meet the silent faces of Kabr and the others. "What? Did I get something on my face? Is there a bug on me or something?!" He yelled as he began to search himself for it. Kabr stood before walking up to the teenager and grabbing his shoulder. He knelt down to eye level as the boy focused on his face.

"Natsu, you said you were able to communicate with the mind?"

"Yeah..."

"And you saw where it was? What it looked like?"

Kabr paused before nodding to his team as they began to rush and pack up the camp. Natsu stared in confusion before asking what they were doing. Kabr looked at him before sighing.

"We were supposed to scout out Fallen outposts and retrieve some data from a nearby facility." He tossed a packed crate to one of the men. "You just came along and changed our mission."

"What is your mission now?" Natsu questioned unsurely. Kabr paused as he looked up at the sky as several streaks of light and fire in the sky flew towards them.

"Now Natsu, we're going to take you to Earth to tell the Vanguard everything you know about the Vex."

* * *

So I'd like to point out that Natsu will be returning to Earthland, but it will take a few chapters. And pairings are undecided, but I'm leaning towards there being several women. None of them will be women from the Destiny universe though.


	3. Chapter 3

So I figured I'd add the first two girls I plan to pair with Natsu once he returns to Earthland to the characters. I know this chapter is a bit shorter than the last two, but I need to get set up for the main plot and either post a 10k chapter, or break it in to smaller chunks. It is still going to be a while before Natsu returns home, but this story is on the front of my brain, and I can't stop typing these chapters. I know it isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I'm hoping some of you will give it a chance. I've seen a few of these stories like this, but they all seemed a little rushed or just didn't show the process of character development. I always like the stories I read to show growth in each character. If anyone has any suggestions for character direction, I'm open to hearing about it.

* * *

Light

Chapter 3

* * *

The shuttle ride to Earth was... amusing, at least it was for Kabr. After getting everyone in to their ships and strapping Natsu in to the back of the shuttle with himself in the pilot's seat, he had to watch the teenager lose his lunch as they punched through the atmosphere of Venus. He had mentioned to the titan that he had motion sickness, but Kabr didn't realize it would be THAT severe. He sat, watching the vomit float around in zero gravity for a few moments, before punching in to light speed towards Earth and forcing the floating vomit to slam back against the teenagers bare chest. He felt a little bad, nobody handled light speed travel well on their first jump. The kid had some guts though, he was still conscious. Or at least Kabr thought he was, what with all the screaming.

He pondered the young man for a few more moments before the ship auto pulled from light speed just as it passed the Moon. He was greeted to the sound of his ship's alert system blaring out all sorts of warnings and a message from Tower 3. He flipped a few switches as the message came on to a small screen on his ships control board. It took a moment to decrypt, but once it did, Kabr felt his stomach drop.

'Fallen houses banded together and are attacking the wall. Towers 10 and 8 have fallen and are relying solely on automated defenses. Wall defense force being led by Zavala and Rey. Any ships found in orbit around any of the remaining Towers or around Cosmosdrome will be shot down. All guardians head south 300 miles of Cosmodrome and rendevouz for new deployment orders. By order of Vanguard High Command. END MESSAGE'

Kabr cursed before inserting the new coordinates heading down towards the marked point on Earth. He sat down and calmed his breathing for the few minutes that he had before his ship landed at the coordinates issued by the Vanguard. He stood and quickly unbuckled the vomit covered Natsu, before walking out the loading bay of his ship to meet with the acting base. There was a droid there, seeming to be hastily put together and shifting around in a state of malfunction. It was blue in colour, and seemed to be made of simple robotic limbs. A triangular head sat atop it's shoulder, an antennae sticking out of the back of it's head and pointing straight up for several inches. It seemed to scan Kabr for a moment before a light on the face of the machine blinked in recognition. Kabr set Natsu against a stack of crates before walking up to the machine.

"I am called Sid. How may I assist you Titan?" It spoke in a timid and slightly high pitched, yet polite voice. Kabr grunted before having the robot relay a message to Vanguard. The machine stood still for a moment before telling him to speak his message. He relayed to them everything he could about Natsu and asked for express permission to violate the restriction on flying and take him to Tower 3. His request took several moments before he recieved a response in the negative. With all of the fighting going on around Cosmodrome, and now the Awoken woman starting a war just outside of Earth's orbit, the defense were the only thing stopping the Fallen from trying to land ships in the Last City. They told him how they wanted the teenager, but they couldn't risk the last city of humanity for one young man, no matter his supposed importance. Kabr grew frustrated as they told him to send his scouting party with the boy to the city, and for him to return to Venus and investigate this 'Vault of Glass' that had turned up from the Clovis Bray research facility. He cursed for several minutes before relaying the orders to his team. He walked over to Natsu, who was sitting on the crate after cleaning off the vomit and watching the frantic warriors as they prepared for a counter offensive. He watched Kabr talk to the members of his team, who each nodded, before walking over to him and kneeling down in front of the young man.

"Natsu, I've just been given my orders. I'm to send you with my team to the city, but I need to return to this 'Vault of Glass' and do some investigating of my own. You need to go with them, and speak with the Vanguard. They need the knowledge you have." Natsu could only nod briefly before Kabr ruffled his hair and pushed him to the rest of the team before giving them all a salute and a quick 'Stay safe!' and jogging back on to his ship. He watched as the ship lifted from the ground and shot in to the stars. Natsu couldn't quite grasp how it was all possible, but he had just been on another planet minutes earlier. He found it suprisingly easy to wrap his head around it though. 'Must've been something I took from the Mind...' he mused before shuddering at the memory of that conversation. He could feel a tug in the back of his mind, a piece of that darkness crawling in his mind, he supposed it was likely. If this thing could exist in a realm of comprehension beyond his own, and it linked itself to him, then that meant that he had temporarily been a part of that being. He didn't like the though, but couldn't deny the results of his brain making room to comprehend it either. That thing had altered him, and like it or not, he was tied to it not in body but in soul. He shook his head and jogged towards the team of scouts that had been assigned as his guards. If this walk was going to be as long as he thought it would be, it'd be best to get his start as soon as possible.

He couldn't believe his luck. First he was teamed up with the terrifying Erza and Mira. Then he gets kidnapped on his job and taken to an alternate universe by some kind of fourth dimensional collective entity. His luck had started to turn when he was rescued by Kabr, and taken to Earth, but that seemed to go in the toilet now. It had been five days. Five days of walking through ruined cities. Five days of fighting against shadows and demons of some kind that the scouting party called Hive. They had barely covered half of their supposed distance to the city, and all that was left of the orginal scouting party was Natsu and another scout named Daniel. He seemed nice enough, but Natsu could see the exhaustion and hopelessness in him. It seemed that the maps were out of date, and that the Hive had moved to occupy the last 120 miles of territory. They were spread pretty thin, luckily, so the combat never lasted more than a few moments. That didn't solve anything as there was one major problem.

They still needed to sleep at some point.

It had started pretty quick on the first night. The one man they had on watch while they slept was ambushed. Natsu could still hear the man screaming as the Hive tore him apart. It always happened the same way after that. First there would be silence. Then there would be the creaking sounds of bones before an inhumanly high pitched wail sounded, and they'd lose another. It happened every night. Natsu was exhausted with only a few hours sleep each night. Dan seemed even more exhausted than him, seeming to not have caught any sleep since the third night. Yet they continued. They had to. The vanguard needed to recieve the information that Natsu had, at any cost. The walk now had only proven that, and there was only one way to go now.

Forward

They could only go forward. They had made over half the journey, and behind them lie ruin. Natsu knew this as well as Dan did and so they continued. Natsu began to pick at the clothes that he had been dressed in. While in the emergency camp, just after Kabr departure, the scouting team decided to dress Natsu in something other than his ragged shorts. He now stood in a body suit made for combat. He had small pieces of armour covering his shoulders, knees, and shins. His chest had a small plate on the front and back, and a small pack arount his waist containing his rations. He had forgone wearing a helmet, claiming it to hinder his senses. He had taken a firearm also, a 'scout rifle' as they had called it, but he knew next to nothing about it. He hadn't even fired it aside from his training, and was rather clumsy with it. It took him a while to reload it, and he hated carrying ammo. It was bulky and he did't have room for much more than a couple dozen rounds. Dan had told him that everyone started out like that, but he'd get used to it over time. Natsu doubted that. He was broken out of his thoughts as he watched Dan walk in to an abandoned building and take a knee. Natsu followed him in to the building and sat next to him.

"The sun'll set soon. I think we're out of hive territory now, so we should be safe to rest for tonight. I'll take first watch, and then wake you when it's your turn..."

Natsu frowned at how calm Dan seemed. He had been so frantic earlier, so on edge for the last few days. Now, he seemed calm. Like he was just running through the motions.

Like he'd given up.

Natsu could only stare in silent shock as Dan stood and walked outside the door. Natsu could hear him set up just outside and begin to whistle in a low tone. Figuring it best to do what he suggested, Natsu lie back against the wall and shut his eyes, sleep lightly taking him. He had dreams that night. Dreams of Erza and Mira. He dreamt of them sitting at a table after their job and laughing as friends. He dreamt of a future with them at his side, laughing and kicking ass all across Fiore as he became the strongest mage. He dreamt of introducing his team to Igneel when he found him. They would all sit around and regale Igneel in their adventures in his absence, and Igneel would tell them of his reasons for leaving, as well as all he saw while he was gone. He dreamt of them getting older, and Erza and Mira filling out and growing in beauty. He felt a warmth in his stomach at the image. His dreams were happy that night, as if the universe itself took pity on him, and granted him the small mercy of a happy sleep.

Natsu woke to the sun hitting his face. He stood and stretched, groaning as his bones and muscles moved in to proper alignment. He stepped out and nodded to Dan, who was kneeling next to an old rusted vehicle, poking at a patch of grass with the barrel of his rifle.

"I figured you were going to wake me." Natsu spoke with mild questioning in his voice. Dan nodded to him before chuckling. "I would've, but I conked out a few minutes after getting out here. Don't tell Kabr I fell asleep on watch or he'll kick my ass so hard, my Ghost will revive me and I'll still have bruises."

Natsu grinned at that before a thought hit him. 'Ghosts can revive guardians. Why didn't everyone elses Ghosts revive them?' He voiced the question to Dan who could only shake his head.

"That's the hive for you, man. When the kill a guardian, the seem to eat the Light in them as well. All a guardian is, and will be, is weaponized Light. Ghost can't revive what isn't there anymore..." He spoke sadly. Natsu could only look down at the ground in guilt. He felt bad reminding Dan of his friends, but Dan quickly banished that thought with his next words.

"Don't mourn them kid. They did their job with honor and purpose. It's all we have, after all. When we get revived by the Ghost, like the very first time, we don't have memories of our past lives. We don't know who were are, and the name we have is just the name we're given. We start out as blank slates, and we earn the name we are given in service. We earn honor and respect, and to mourn is to pity. No guardian worth their salt wants someones pity. The traveler picked us for whatever reason, and all we can do is make a name for ourselves on this crazy ride to Light. Their names will always be remembered, and if your information is as helpful as I think it is, their sacrifice will glorified and the will stand as some of the proudest guardians in death."

Natsu could only nod at the pride in Dan's words. He was nothing what he was like yesterday. Maybe all they needed was some rest. With that in mind, they both turned and headed north, intent on making it to the city. If he was so important to the future of the city, then he would do anything in his power to help.

* * *

Mirajane Strauss could only stare at herself nude in the mirror. She had gotten thinner. She attributed it to one part puberty, and one part not leaving her house for a month. She sighed as she examined the guild mark on her thigh. It stared at her in an almost mocking light. She had failed herself. More importantly, she had failed Natsu. He had trusted her and Erza to be strong, and he ended up dying to save them. She grit her teeth before moving forward and striking the mirror. The pieces rained to the tiled floor of her bathroom. The shards burned in her hand. 'Good.' she thought to herself. She was glad to feel something other than the sadness that had been eating her. She reared her other hand back, before swinging it down to the shards on the floor. She winced and cried out lightly as the shards buried in to her hand. She was glad Lisanna and Elfman were at the guild, she didn't have to worry about making too much noise. She sighed before reaching in to her closet and pulling out a small broom to sweep the shards. She swept them in to a neat pile, or at least as neat as her bleeding hands would let her, and picked them up with a dust pan. She set it off to the side and turned on the faucet in her restroom sink. The water came out and she held her hands under the stream. The blood was washed down the drain as she pulled the shards from her hand. She pulled them out from under the water and focused some magical energy in to her hands. The demonic flames came forth and cauterized her wounds shut. She rinsed them off again, before pulling out some gauze and wrapping her hands. She had just finished wrapping them, and throwing the remnants of her mirror in the trash, when she heard a knock at her door.

'Great, they sent someone to check on me again.' She thought bitterly. She quickly threw on some sweats and a shirt before walking to her front door and opening it. She was slightly shocked to see Erza standing on her porch. She was paler than usual, thinner too. Her hair was oily and disheveled. She looked up to meet Mirajane's eyes, before quickly staring back down at the ground.

"Hey..." Erza spoke meekly. Mira could only stare at her before regaining her composure.

"Look Red, you can go tell the others at the guild that I'm fine. See? I'm just fine and alive and as well as can be." Her voice was slightly hysteric at the end of her statement.

"I haven't been sent by the guild. I haven't even been there since... since..." Mira felt slightly guilty as tears welled up in Erza's left eye and trailed down her cheek. Mira grunted and stood aside, waving Erza in and she chocked out a small sob. She had figured that Erza would have returned to the guild and gone about her business. It wasn't her fault that Natsu was gone, so why should she be blaming herself for it. Mira knew it was her own fault. She had failed to even weaken her enemy, while Natsu had to fight something that she as an S-class mage couldn't even scratch. She had run when he told her to, depite knowing he stood no chance against that thing. She had abandoned a teammate.

She had abandoned a friend.

Erza stepped in and Mira quickly shut the door behind her, before dragging Erza up to her room. She sat her down on the bed and tossed her a box of tissues. Erza took them and wiped her eye and nose as she took in Mira's room. She had expected dark and scary, but what she found was suprisingly feminine. Mira grunted at her wandering eyes before pulling a chair away from her vanity and sat down facing the red head.

"So, you didn't come from the guild?"

"No."

"Then why are you here?" Mira asked with a raised brow. Her and Erza hadn't been great friends. They had barely been considered as aquaintences. Erza took a breath before looking up to meet the eldest Strauss's gaze.

"I wanted to see if you were feeling as guilty aabout this as I am. We were the strongest in that team. We should've been able to handle those things... But I couldn't even scrath mine. Natsu had to save me. He had to fight my battle, had to bear my burden. I've never felt so useless before in my life..." Tears streamed down her cheek as Mira stared at her in shock.

She felt the same?

Why?

Mira stood up before walking over and sitting down next to the redhead. She placed an uncertain hand on Erza's shoulder as she stared at the floor.

"It's not just you. He trusted us and we failed him. He's gone because of that, and I don't know what to do. Everytime I get dressed to go to the guild, all I can picture is their faces. Their eyes blaming me. I was stronger than him by a longshot, and it feels like we just left him to die while we ran away like cowards. I know they don't feel that way, but I can't get it out of my mind." She spoke in a quaking voice as tears fell down her cheeks and on to her lap. Erza could only look over before nodding in uderstanding.

"It really isn't just me then?"

Mirajane nodded

"What do we do from here then, now that we both know we aren't alone?" Erza asked in confusion. Mira thought for a moment before turning and meeting her gaze.

"Now we train and get stronger. We get so strong that we never lose another person like that again. We train for the future, but we also train for the memory of Natsu. Fighting for his friends was his thing, and we'll make it ours. For him..." Mira spoke in conviction. Erza could only nod before holding out her hand and requipping a familiar scarf in to her hand. She held it up to the shocked Strauss and spoke.

"I couldn't bear to look at it, but I couldn't leave it at home either. You should take it. Wear it or maybe give it to Lisanna." Mira could only take it from her before looking at the saddened red head. She shook her head before quickly looping it over the other girls neck and fastening it over the collar of her armour. Erza could only stare in shock. Mirajane giggled at her.

"You keep it. I already have Happy flying around here, taking up space. I don't need more of his stuff. Use it as a reminder of our promise. Use it to give you strength like he had to protect us."

Erza could only nod with tears in her eyes at the white haired girl's declaration.

"So shall we get to training?" questioned the redhead. Mira pondered on it for a moment before looking to the other girl.

"Nah. First we're gonna eat something. Then, you're going to shower. You smell like ass and look like shit. What's the matter Red, was there a ghost in your shower or something?"

Erza could only bristle and look passed her in to the bathroom, before staring at Mira with a smirk. "I dunno Slut, but where is your mirror? Did you catch sight of your ugly mug and break it in shock? Or did the mirror see you and kill itself?"

Mira and Erza both kept eye contact before bursting in to laughter as the both walked down to Mira's kitchen. The road ahead was going to be tough, but if this meeting showed the girls anything, it was that they wouldn't be going it alone. They would have eachother, and the memory of a friend. They both cast a happy thought to the future.

It was brighter and brighter each day.

The future was full of Light.

* * *

Love it, Review.

Hate it, Review.

Guest review the word "Balls" if you've even made it this far.

See ya,

Temper


	4. Chapter 4

Got my first Fav and Follower. Yay, so at least one other person doesn't think I'm total shit yet. Go team.

* * *

Light

Chapter 4

* * *

Natsu could harldy contain his exictement. After days of walking, and training more with his scout rifle, Dan had informed him that they were just less than a days walk away from the Last City. He was excited to see the place that Dan had been talking about in camp to fill the silence. It sounded amazing to Natsu, what with the buildings going hundreds of feet up so high that they cut through clouds. He was eager to see such a thing, sure Earthland had it's fair share of tall buildings and towers, but none could compare to the buildings that Dan described. He also wanted to see one of these 'Towers' that he kept talking about. He described them as 'a social hub for any guardian who needed a break', and that sounded like something he'd like.

It sounded like Fairy Tail.

He had told Dan some of his adventures in his old dimension, though he seemed confused on anyone would use swords and fists when there were guns. 'Just gotta be there to get it' Natsu mused as they walked. He still preferred to use his magic, but it seemed weaker here. Even after consuming a good amount of fire, he couldn't seem to handle the bone crawlers of the hive effectively. A thought had suddenly hit Natsu. 'What if I'm not weaker, but they're stronger. Dan and Kabr both said that the enemies are strongest in the Darkness... What if this whole universe is just stewing in it? Just permeated with a sense of darkness in one way or another...'. He'd have to put more thought in to this later, maybe even ask the Vanguard. Dan spoke as if they'd have all the answers that he needed, though at this point he only had one question.

"How do I get home?"

"Huh?" Dan spoke as he turned to face Natsu. The titan seemed confused at the sudden question. Natsu shook his head bfore scratching the back of his head and chuckling weakly. "Nothing," he spoke in an embarrassed tone. "Just talking to myself I guess..." Dan seemed to regard him for a moment before shrugging, opting to turn around and continue walking. They were passing old outposts and settlements now. They were all abandoned now, the refugees in them having migrated behind the walls, but it still gave him hope. He knew these roads. He had patrolled here multiple times, and had yet to come across anything more than a small group of Fallen, and that hadn't been for years. He felt an amount of optimism that he hadn't had since he first joined Kabr's party. He was brought out of his musings as Natsu matched his pace and started his usual line of questions since arriving.

"So how long has this war been going on?"

"A long, long time."

"And how old are you?"

"Well I was alive before the collapse, and then the Ghost revived me after something killed me about 25 years ago, so let's see... Add the seven, carry the two... I'm around 250 years old."

Natsu could only gawk at the man. 250 years old and he's saying it as if it was nothing. Hell Makarov was in his sixties or seventies, and all he did was gripe. This was something he brought up to Dan, who could only laugh before clarifying for the teenager. "That's true for most people, but a guardian is different. You see, we started out dead, and were revived in our prime by the Ghost. I could've been dead long before that at a ripe old age, but the Ghost revives the best AT their best. Not too sure what it sees when it picks us, but I do know that once we are picked, it seems to stop the process of time. Warlocks argue some form of time manipulation, while others argue that it's us from some parallel dimension but most say that's not possible. They say that parallel and alternate dimensions and universes are just talk for theoretical formulas, a math equation. It's one of the reasons that I want to get you to Tower so badly, to make a few Warlocks' heads explode."

"What's so special about me?" Natsu spoke in confusion. He understood the importance of the information that he had, but after that he saw no reason for the Vanguard to continue helping him. That thought had been eating him. The Vanguard had no reason to aid him after he gave them what they wanted. He wasn't a guardian, and he didn't have anything special about him other than his magic. Why would they help him get home? Why should they? How even could they? He grew more and more depressed as he walked, something that Dan noticed immediately and walked next to him as he punched his shoulder lightly.

"Hey kid cheer up. The Vanguard WILL help you. We kinda help everyone we can. It's our thing, kinda. I know the Warlocks are gonna have a field day when they get ahold of you, but they're just weird like that. Plus, if the information you have is worth what we think it is, they'll owe you damn near everything. You have the knowledge to save our solar sysytem, maybe even universe. Plus, you're a living anomaly. According to the Ghost, you posess Light, granted it's weak and you utilize it in a way we've never seen, but you've got it. Nobody possesses Light unless they were blessed it by the Traveler. That opens up so many more theories about what it is. I can't explain too much 'cause I ain't too sure of it all myself, but it might mean the Traveler was in your universe, or that your universe has it's own version of the Traveler. Whatever it is, you just opened up a bunch of new doors, and laid several hundred year old theories to rest. Take a good deep breath kid, because you are a living piece of history for us."

Natsu could only grin at the man's words, he knew he was right. He held more than information about the Vex, he held answers to time and space itself. He felt smug that he didn't even have to do anything, his existence alone here proved it. He helped answer questions that quantified this universe. 'Let's see that ice prick beat this!' He thought in victory. It never mattered what Gray did from here on out to Natsu, he could saave the world ten times over, but he'd never be the key to understanding their universe and others beyond. With a perk in his step, he marched ahead happily, a chuckling Dan in tow. Dan didn't mind letting him lead at this point, as all the roads led to the city. He grinned as the teenager began to shoot small flames out of his mouth in joy as he marched. If all went well, then they would be in the city before nightfall. He couldn't deny his excitement.

That's when he heard it.

A humming, low and constant. He had heard it too many times to count, the sound of an arc blade. He belted out a quick hush to Natsu, who upon seeing the titan fall in to a defesive stance, dropped in to a stance and slowly crept up to him while protecting his rear. He hadn't been trained for too long by the titan, but he had learned basic formations and teamwork. He stood, scanning the area around him as the noise continued to buzz all around them. He heard the sound of clicking tongues, as well as several wails in the distance. He didn't have time to even blink as several bursts of electrcal energy waved out of the bushes around them and in to the ground around them. and the Fallen made their appearance on the battlefield.

Him and Dan quickly separated as the titan flew passed him, firing in to the bushes and drawing most of the battle with him as he moved. He heard several loud thuds as the titan quickly turned and reloaded his auto rifle. Firing in short controlled bursts, he proceeded to tear through several more of the strange hyena like creatures before a loud screeching sound came out of the trees. The next enemies to drop were different, where the first wave of enemies were brown and black in tone, these ones were white and black with four arms, two of which were holding swords that buzzed with electrical energy. Natsu gulped as they screeched and ran at him, only raising his scout rifle in thime to fire off a few shots, the first two of which missed by a wide margin, while the third hit one of the creatures in the eye. Natsu watched as the head of the being exploded, light pouring from it's neck as it's hands clawed at it's wound before slumping over in death. Natsu heard the wailing of several of the other Fallen as the other one with the sword threw back it's head and screamed, it's swords raised high in to the sky in rage. It lowered it's head down as it stared at Natsu, white eyes narrowing as he prepared to charge. Natsu moved to raise his rifle up to fire again, but a searing pain in his shoulder caused him to drop it. He looked down at his arm, only to see bone as a beam from one of the fallen weapons tore through the armour he had on and through the flesh and muscle and cauterized the wound. He felt a wave of nausea hit him as his rifle fell to the ground, clattering loudly as the fallen began to surround him, slowly approaching. He wanted to fight, to yell, to do anything.

But he couldn't.

He fell to his knees and looked around at his approaching enemy. His arm burned, his mind was fuzzy, and his skin felt clammy. He couldn't hear anything anymore, his heart was pounding too loud. His life flashed before him. All his time with Igneel, and the search for him afterwards. His time at Fairy Tail and the friends he made there. He thought of Erza and Mirajane, and his heart stuttered. He didn't know them all too well, but he still liked them. He was unsure why they were what stood out in his mind and hurt the most, but they were there. He could see their smiles as they celebrated his return. He could hear their laughs as they all shared stories and went on jobs. His mind hurt as he thought of the future he was denied, they beauty he would miss. He cursed his existense time after time and this was the bitter memory he would go out on. He felt so weak as he realised something.

He would die without having accomplished anything.

The Fallen slowly stepped towards him on all sides, each clicking in satisfaction at the downed teenager. Dan had watched this happen while in his own battle, and was unable to help at that time. He cursed as he raised his rifle and blew another Dreg's mind to bits, before finally realizing that he was free to aid Natsu. He charged as much light as he could in to his arms, feeling the tingle of electrcal energy flowing through him. He sprinted towards the group, they were close enough that he hoped it would work. He leapt to the center, arms high in the air as the electrical energy flew from his arms. The shockwave that was emitted disintegrating the entirety of the group. Dan fell to his knees as he examined the remains of his battle. They were all gone. He panted as he looked over to Natsu. They boy was shaken, and would always have a scar, but he would live. Dan was about to speak when a buzzing sound came out from behind him. He felt true fear at that moment.

There behind the kneeling man stood a Fallen Captain. He let out a loud bellow as he raised his sabers to the sky. Dan tried to stand, tried to lift his arms, but his attack had consumed most of his energy and left him severely weakened. He could only stare as the Captain brought his swords down, ending the life, or rather afterlife, of the titan called Dan.

Natsu could only watch as Dan was cut down. He watched the man's Ghost materialize and begin floating over his corpse, only for the Captain to shoot his hand out, crushing the being of Light in it's hand and ensuring that the titan would never be revived again. Natsu felt his heart snk as he watched another of his friends die. He felt a hopeless rage as the being wiped his sabers off on the sash that Dan had worn, smearing it with the man's blood before turning to face Natsu. It gave off a gutteral laugh at it walked up to the stunned teenager. It raised one saber up, before plunging it through the dragon slayer's chest. Natsu could only look down at the blade that was protruding from his chest before looking back up to the Captain. The beast gave out a roar as it brought his blade down on the human's neck, severing his head and ending his life.

* * *

The Ghost had been searching since the Traveler had died. It had it's job and had to track and revive someone that the Traveler had selected. It had encountered one issue though. No matter where it looked, no matter how thoroughly it searched, it could not find it's guardian. The other Ghosts that it had communicated with had spoken of a pull, a sensation or reading, that pulled it towards it's destined guardian. It had never felt that in it's hundreds of years of searching. It had never felt a tug of any kind. It had decided to renew it's search around the city. Plenty had died there on their pilgramage to the Last City, so the chances of it being there were certainly higher than it had been in it's current location. It paused it's musings as it finally took in it's surroundings. It beeped as it registered it's location.

The Sahara Desert

If the machine was capable of sighing, it would. It would take months to reach the city. It chirped as it started in the direction of Russia. It had a small glint of optimism, perheps something had changed in that area. It wouldn't be a total waste anyway, it would be visiting it's birth ground. It had done that several times since it's existence began. It would appear from time to time over it's year of traveling and just stare at it's creator for a couple of weeks, always long enough to renew it's hope and redouble it's search efforts. It floated by a small oasis, catching it's reflection. It stared at it's deep red hue, lines of gold trimming it's ridges. It felt unique in that way, as many of the other Ghosts it had encountered had been white. They all seemed so bland when it thought of it's psuedo-siblings. There was nothing there to make it unique, they all seemed to be mass produced in general, which made it question one thing.

'Why am I unique?'

'Perhaps it was a curse,' it mused idly as the days turned to night and the weeks flew by. It pondered it's existence, the unique design of it marking it as the Unable Ghost. What was a Ghost without a guardian? What was it's purpose if it never encountered it's destined guardian? Why had the Traveler created this Ghost if it had no purpose? Was it damned to just wait until enough people died off before it even came across the chance of possibly finding it's guardian? It was a morbid thought, that more people needed to die so that it may revive the being that will aid in the saving of said people. That the endangered species needed to further dwindle to revive it's saviour. The Ghost chirped to itself, seeming to admonish such a morbid line of thought. It took in it's global position, realising that it was a day away from the city. It floated through the forests, taking in the snow and ice covering everything. It never liked the cold, opting to search the warmer climates on the planet first and take to the colder zones in the summertime. Something about the cold white that encompassed everything annoying it, perhaps reminding it of its own difference in the sea of white shelled 'brothers' it had.

It continued to float along lazily, before suddenly perking up and chirping in a loud and hasty tone. It had sensed something. That filled it with excitement at the new experience and realization. It had felt something! It flew as fast as it could through the trees. The sight that greeted it was not what it had expected, as there on the ground lie a dead guardian, his Ghost crushed to pieces on top of his corpse. It chirped in slight mournin, for it was still it's kin, even if they had never spoken or interacted in any way before. They shared a father, or mother. The Ghost decided not to pursue the strange line of parentage and investigate around the site. It had seen plenty of dead guardians and Ghosts in it's long existense, and had never once had a sensor alert. It flew frantically as it scanned everything in the nearby area. It stopped as it approached the corpse of a teenager buried under the snow. It scanned it for several moments before adjusting it's scan to also include the severed head that lie buried in the snow several feet from it. It scanned for what must have been hours before chirping in joy.

'It is you...'

* * *

It cast a heavy beam of light on to the corpse and head of the teenager as particles of light began to envelope both sections. A blinding light encompassed the area before Natsu Dragneel stood once again, clutching his head and grunting in pain, and a strange coloured Ghost floating circles around him and chirping happily.

The darkness was terrifying for the teenager. He relived his countless moments in agony at the hands of this new universe. He recalled the constant torture of the Vex, the terror that was the living nightmare of the Hive, and the ruthless cunning of the Fallen. He had little love for any of the beings in this universe so far. He had been taken from his home to a strange dimension, tortured, rescued, and then murdered. He continued this thought for what felt like an eternity before a light seemed to encompass him in the darkness. He felt relief flood him as the light pulled him up. He felt the burden of memory begin to leave him as he neared the surface. He had almost breached the surface when a tendril of pain shot through his brain and a scream followed it.

" **THE DARKNESS WILL NOT LET YOU EVER FORGET**!"

His screams followed him as the memories that he had been happy to shed followed him in to the light.

* * *

The Ghost felt confused as the guardian was being revived. It felt a pull of a Darkness of some kind as it revived the teenager, but assumed it to be a normal step in the revival. It felt as the Darkness had nearly completely left the teen, before a sudden burst of the powerful evil came from the child and in to the Ghost. It had no pain receptors, and couldn't feel the Darkness as it altered it. It couldn't see it's own eye turn from a gentle blue diamond light to a neon yellow diamond. It couldn't feel as it's circular pupil streched out in the sea of yellow light, giving it a single digital reptilian eye. It felt relief as the teen was revived, though he was revived as a man. He stood at just a few inches over six feet and packed with well defined muscle. The Ghost always revived their guardian in their prime, even if the guardian had never reached it. The Ghost felt suprise as it gained access in to the man's brain on some level, seeing the memories that the man had. It couldn't believe the data that was presented. It was almost some sort of given sign the the Unable Ghost would get the guardian from an entire other universe. No wonder it never found him.

Natsu grunted as he stood tall, the pain finally leaving his brain as he took in his surroundings. He saw the lifeless and frozen corpse of Dan, and the memories hit him. He began to panic as he felt all over his body. He channeled his magic to his fists, flames erupting from his entire body without him even noticing as he took stock of the area around him. The Ghost chirped in satisfaction at watching the flames burn away the white that surrounded them. It was glad that he had picked a guardian of heat. Natsu finally seemed to take notice that he was alone, snas the Ghost staring at him with it's digital reptillian eye.

"Can you hear me?"

"Affirmative guardian. I am classified as a Ghost, but you already knew that. Specifically though, I am now classified as YOUR Ghost." The small being of light chirped out in a deep monotone voice. It shifted it's eye around at hearing itself. It had always imagined sounding different, but it had also never had a need for it's voice so it never spoke. Natsu seemed to ponder his thoughts for a moment before looking around.

"So, that means I died?"

"Yes."

"And you revived me?"

"Much to my own joy, yes." The Ghost bounced around in air before settling again.

"Oka~y, so what is your name?"

"Name?"

"Yes. What is it that you are called?"

"I am called Ghost..."

Natsu could only sigh as he took stock of the GHost before him. He scrubbed his face with his hand before speaking again.

"Well what do you want to be called?"

"I have never had a need for a name as you are the one I have been searching for for over 200 years..." The Ghost seemed hesitant. It had assumed that it would always go by Ghost, and had never designated thought to the sentiment of having a name. Natsu seemed to pick up on it before sighing and walking up and flicking the machine. He grinned as it recoiled and narrowed it's digital eye.

"Don't do that."

"Fine, but we gotta come up with a name for you. I can't just call you 'Ghost' like all the others. If you're gonna be MY Ghost, then you gotta have a kickass name. Something like 'Ghost' but more unique. Something that screams different in all the most badass ways. What are other names for Ghost?"

The Ghost seemed to pause for a moment as it compiled the data.

"I have shown results for 'synonyms for Ghost'. The results are Demon, Devil, Phantom, Shadow, Soul, Specter-" Natsu snapped his fingers as he interrupted the small being.

"Specter! That's perfect! It's like being a Ghost, but so much cooler. So how does Specter sound to you?"

"Specter is an acceptable designation. From here on out, my designation will be Specter."

Natsu clapped his hands before grabbing the newly named Specter and tossing him up in to the air and leaping up to catch him. The Specter seemed annoyed, if the chirping was anything to go by, but allowed it noetheless. It seemed more overjoyed to not be alone anymore. Natsu landed and let Specter float from his hand as he looked at it.

"Excellent. You are Specter. It's nice to meet you. My name is Natsu Dragneel. You can call me Natsu."

"Affirmative guardian."

"No no no. Natsu. say it with me now." He proceeded to say his name slowly several more times. Specter merely looked at him for a moment before responding.

"Designation 'Natsu' affirmative, guardian."

Natsu sighed as he turned and began to walk towards the city, Specter following alongside him.

"So, where is our destination, guardian?"

"Well before I died, I was supposed to go talk to this 'Vanguard' in the city. Figure that hasn't changed. So what can you tell me about the Vanguard? Give me all you know on it."

"Affirmative... Natsu."

"Hey you used my name!" Natsu shouted in joy.

"Affirmative, guardian."

The groan that rang out could be heard for several hundred meters as well as the joyful chirping of a Ghost.

* * *

Got this chapter all typed out in a night. I'm very tired. Leave a review and guest comment some random word if you made it this far... though seeing the word "Balls" in my reviews was fuckin awesome.

Temper


	5. Chapter 5

I know I'm not doing my best to describe some of the enemies or what a Ghost looks like, but that shit's kinda hard to put in to detail. I'm also running off the assumption that anyone who reads this know a bit about the Destiny universe. I know the lore, and am doing my best to stick kinda close to it. There will be things that don't exactly line up. Also, describing armours isn't the easiest thing to do, but I'll do my best to get them on point. All that being said, you may need to google some of the stuff to accurately see what it looks like. I hate saying that, makes me feel like a bad writer, but some things are just harder to describe than others.

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Light

Chapter 5

Night had fallen for Natsu and Spacter, and with it came the stars. Natsu could only stare up at the infinite amount of stars and light in wonder as he walked. He felt longing in his heart at the possibility of his friends staring at the same sky, only to feel saddened at the realization that they couldn't be as he stared at the large scar on the Moon, reminding him of his situation. They couldn't be looking to the same sky because they weren't just on another planet, they were in a complete other universe. There was no amount of travelling he could do through these stars, he wouldn't get home unless he could somehow traverse dimensions. He snorted at the idea as he thought of the Mind that had brought him here. He may have stared back in to the mind and garnered comprehension and perhaps a grown intelligence, but not nearly enough to quantify dimension hopping. His pace slowed to a stop, causing Specter to stop his forward progress next to the newly formed guardian. It hovered around him for a few moments, taking in his somber attitude before rearing back and flying full force in to the side of his face.

"Hey! What the fuck Specter?!" Natsu could only growl out as he rubbed his aching cheek. The Ghost may have been small, but it was made of a heavy metal, and flying full force in to his face hurt like a punch. Specter seemed unaffected as it made sure to hover out of his reach, seeming to know of his eventual retaliation. The front half of it's body spun in a circle as it's digital eye narrowed at him.

"We must keep moving Natsu. We can not afford to take any longer with the information, as it has been months since your death."

"Wait, it's been months?!" Natsu could only shout out, having only realized that it was early fall when he had parted from Kabr, and from the snow he had to trudge through, he could tell it was the dead middle of winter.

"Yes. Judging from how the body of that guardian Dan has decayed, I am to believe that it has been just under four months since your death." Specter spoke in an agitated tone. Natsu could only stare shocked at the ground. It had felt like minutes for him, but for four months to have passed was insane. He wondered if the same amount of time had passed for his dimension, before quickly shaking himself out of it. He didn't need specter trying to 'motivate' him again. Despite it's diminutive size, the little bastard was dense. He sighed as he resumed his pace to the north. Specter had been guiding him on his path now, one of his many benefits to the little being of light. Specter made for a good travelling companion, telling him a plethora of information that it had accured over the hundreds of years of travelling in search of him. It spoke of the cities that it had visited after it had first been given life, of the populations that banded together to fight the invading Fallen. It also spoke spoke of visiting those settlements years later, only to find bones and crumbled buildings. It spoke of how more and omre steelements were devoured by the Darkness, how the people were forced to retreat under the protection of the Traveler or risk an inevitable death at the hands of the Fallen. It also spoke of his killers quite a bit, it's knowledge seemed extensive, and strangely it didn't know how it knew. It said it felt like a part of itself to know about the scavengers that had claimed his life, as well as this planet.

Natsu huffed out after a couple more hours of walking, his legs sore from the journey. He had opted to stop for the night and rest. He veered off the path, finding himself a small clearing with a downed tree. He trudged up to it before slumping down against it. He laid his back against the trunk as he rested his head on the trunk and stared up to the stars. The thoughts of his family on his mind as he drifted to sleep. Specter could only stare at the guardian as he fell asleep. They would reach the Last City in the morning, and with it would be the start to Natsu's quest towards going home. Specter could only wonder if he would be able to go with Natsu when he left. It wondered many things as it slowly floated over and perched itself on the log next to Natsu's head and turned on it's scanners. 'No use in getting ambushed again.' it thought as silence reigned until the morning.

Tomorrow was going to be the start of a very strange adventure.

* * *

"Hey! Red! Get your lazy ass up. It's time to train!"

Erza could only raise her head from her pillow and look at the clock. '5 am...' She groaned as she rolled out of her bed and pulled the sheets with her on to the floor as she landed on her stomach. Mira wouldn't think to look for her here, not in her cocoon of bed sheets. She was safe here, or so she thought. The sound of footsteps echoed through the house as the door to her room suddenly opened, the door thudding loudly as it impacted the wall. Erza burrowed herself deeper in to her cocoon, she would hide in there until she emerged as a well rested butterfly. Sadly, she would never recieve that as she felt hands grab an untucked section of her sheet and flip her out of her protective shield. She could only shriek as she impacted the cold hardwood floor. She couldn't contemplate her misfortune, as Mira deemed it fit to slip a freezing cold bare foot under the bottom of her shirt and up her back. She let out a high pitched scream as she crawled under her bed. Mira could only chuckle before grabbing the redhead by her feet and dragging her out from under her bed and flicking on the lacrima lights in the room.

Erza was not happy. First Mira had decided to wake her up on their off day, and then proceeded to rub a cold foot on her back before dragging her out and blinding her with lights. She could only grunt as she rolled over and jumped to her feet before lodging her head against Mira's in anger.

"What the fuck, Demon?! I was having a nice dream in my cozy bed, on our day OFF, and you decided to ruin it... Why?"

Mira could only grunt before leaning her head backwards and then abruptly bringing it forward. A loud crunch echoed through the room as Erza cradled her bleeding nose before Mirajane turned around and walked out to stand in the doorway. Erza cradled her nose for a moment, it wasn't broken luckily, but it still hurt. Plus she was bleeding.

Not a great way to start her morning.

Mirajane turned and looked at her before chuckling and facing the livingroom windows, watching as the first traces of the sun poked over the horizon. She was about to speak before she heard a slight shuffling before a scarf slipped over her head and wrapped around her neck. She struggled for breath as she met the fire in Erza's eyes. It seemed she had gone insane, if the glint and narrowed pupils were anything to go by.

"I'll get plenty of sleep once you're dead... Any last words Strauss?" Erza loosened the scaled scarf enough for Mira to take a shuddered breath before wheezing out.

"Strawberry... Cake..."

Erza paused. Through their time together, Erza had discovered that Mira had a talent for baking, and she especially enjoyed how Mira seemed to make the best strwaberry cake that Erza had ever tasted. She couldn't rightly kill the artist of such perfection, could she? She grunted as she rolled Mira on to her stomach and grabbed her right leg before pulling it up in to a stinger hold. Mira cried out as Erza pulled against her leg.

"Yield."

"Fuck you!"

Erza pulled harder against the leg. Mira had to bite her cheek to avoid screaming out.

"I said yield!" Erza practically yelled out.

"You have no tits!" the eldest Strauss yelled back. Erza saw red as she released the leg and flipped Mirajane back on to her back as she straddled her stomach and held her by the forehead with one hand while she drew her fist back. Mira could only glare dangerously in to the redheads eyes.

"What's the matter, Red? You've got me in a position just like you read in those books of yours. Are you trying to make a move on me?" Mirajane asked with a smirk.

Erza could only sputter in shock as she drew her fist back, a fierce blush on her face. Mira saw her state and pushed her advantage before she could recover.

"I always thought it was wierd how you seemed to want to fight me the most. At first I thought you were just jealous of my body being more developed than yours, but it would make sense for you to just be trying to get my attention... and using this scarf to choke me... Who knew you liked that kind of thing, Scarlet." Mirajane practically purred as she ran a hand down her body. Erza stared on in shock. She quickly jumped off the Strauss and backed in to her room as Mira could only lie on the floor and laugh. She continued to sputter and blush as Mirajane stood up and dusted herself off, before unwrapping the scarf from her neck and tossing it over Erza's head as she walked back in to the living room. She continued her laughing as she reached the kitchen and began to prepare breakfast.

Erza pressed against the wall in mortification. Not only did Mirajane know about her books, but she had known the contents. Erza slowly sulked in to the livingroom, mumbling her denials as she walked by the still chuckling Strauss and in to the bathroom. She was quick to shower and dry before going out to the kitchen. She sat down as Mira scraped some scrambled eggs on to her plate with some toast. She quietly began to munch on her food as Mira sat across from her. The demoness could only sigh before speaking up.

"Relax Red. I know you don't swing for the same team, but after reading a few of those books of yours, I just couldn't help myself."

Erza could only nod with a quick sigh of relief as she resumed her meal. Life was hard enough as it was, she didn't need Mirajane thinking there was something there when there wasn't. She was also pretty sure that she liked guys, even though she couldn't seem to find her type, and Jellal had turned psycho. Her heart panged at the thought. She had known that she liked him, hell at one point she'd swear she loved him, but now it was just annoyance when she thought of him. She had held such a high regard for him and his sacrifice. She had thought that him enduring a torture was surely worse than death, and that had granted him a high position of respect in her heart. She pictured him on the smae level as the friends she had who had died in that tower. She accounted him higher than them all, she thought with guilt, all because of her attractoin to him. Now was a different story. Now she was angry at him and his cowardice. She had seen true sacrifice, and what it meant to be brave. She saw that he was nothing more than a weak boy who had a brave moment, but didn't have the heart to follow through with his decision. He had decided with them to stand up to the darkness, only to be consumed by it.

How?

She asked herself that question millions of times by this point. How is it that he could fall to darkness, when she seemed to take worse from their captors and stay strong? Was he weak minded, only to be manipulated after torture to the minds of some mad cult? How hard did he fight, she wondered. How long did he fight before he gave up?

Gave up.

The thought of giving up haunted her. She had almost given up too many times to count since Natsu was declared dead. She felt like she had failed him, she felt like she was Jellal in this situation. She cursed herself for not trying harder, for giving up and passing out to leave him to fight alone. She had comntemplated giving up her life as a mage, and would have followed through had it not been for Mirajane. The Strauss seemed to just be making it up as she went, but she at least had some form of a plan. She had dragged Erza through hell in their training. They would be up before the sun, and train until it went down, only stopping long enough to eat and rest periodically. The takeover mage was a slave driver, but the results spoke for themselves. She could requip faster, last longer, and hit harder than ever before. She was thankful for the woman's companionship in the last six months since their failed mission. Erza paused as she pondered the thought.

Six months. Half a year.

'That's how long it's been since Natsu...' Erza could only stare down at her empty plate as she wallowed in guilt. Mira saw her staring at her plate in depression before sighing. Rearing her hand back, she flicked the spoon out of her hand, and watched in mild satisfaction as it bounced off of the knight's forehead with a loud pang. Erza could only snap her head back before bringing it foreward to stare at the giggling mage, bringing one hand up to massage the small lump forming on her head. Her glare faded as she made eye contact with Mira, the understanding in them all too familiar. They had been doing this since they first started training. They would always make an effort to break the other out of their depressing thoughts, it just so happened that violence and insults worked the fastest.

She was grateful for it though.

Erza stood up, grabbing her and Mira's empty plates before walking in to the kitchen and placing them in the sink. She stared out the window as she washed the plates, contemplating her day. She could train. Again. She could always decide to stop by the guild. She needed to stop off in town and pick up groceries, as well as check the book shop for any new reading materials. She blushed as she remembered Mira taunting her about them. Even after having lived together for nearly six months, and Mira knowing for almost that entire time about her choice in reading, she still couldn't get over the constant teasings that happened. She sighed as she walked back out in to to the living room, glancing at Mira as she read one of Erza's book. The white haired woman had a faint blush on her face as she read, only to fall back out of her chair as Erza slapped her hand down on the table as she read.

"Oi! What the hell Red? It was just getting good."

"Will you stop going through my stuff and reading my books? I haven't even had a chance to read that one, and I don't need your grubby hands tainting my novels before I've had a chance to enjoy them!" Erza growled out with a small blush dusting her cheeks. Mira could only stare at her for a moment before tossing the book to her, watching as Erza caught it with one hand and walked back to her room, only to emerge a few moments later.

"Fine, get yourself off to that book, but I want it when you're done. That one seemed to have a story to it, and wasn't just rough fucking like the others were."

"Must you be so vulger when you talk?" Erza could only ask with a deep blush across her face. "I'm going in to the city. We need groceries, and I haven't stopped by the guild yet this week. Should I grab another job while I'm there?"

"Yeah, whatever. It's not like we need the cash for anything but food. Maybe expanding the house again, but I guess whatever gets us out of here for a while is good. Any word on when Happy will be back?"

"No, he's still on a job with your sister and brother. If I remember right, they won't be back for a few more weeks. Why, missing your little 'snuggle buddy'?" Erza could only tease the blushing Mira.

"Shut up! It's not my fault he's so warm and soft. Besides, don't think I haven't seen you cuddling that scarf."

"Quiet. I'll be back later!" Erza quickly bolted out the front door after requipping in to her standard set of armour, Natsu's scarf draped around her neck as she went. She turned back around to face the house that she had been living in for nearly six months.

It was Natsu's house.

After the coucil declared him dead, Happy had lived in the abode alone for nearly a month before breaking down and asking Lisanna to live with him. She had denied his reuest, but offered to let him live with her and Elfman. It was just a coincedence that it was the first time Erza or Mira had shown up to the guild minutes later. Everyone was shocked to see the two of them together, let alone at the guild. They had retreated away from everyone after Natsu disappeared. The only people to have seen them in the month since was Lisanna, Elfman, and Makarov, and none of them had assumed they would return to the guild anytime soon. Happy flew over to Erza and cried his plight in to her shoulder. Erza and Mira had both almost instantly agreed to go stay with the exceed at the house in the forest. It was nice and secluded, perfect for the destructive training that they were doing. She had just wished that Happy had warned them of the condition of the house before they arrived.

It was a wreck.

The floor was covered in trash and dirty clothes, dishes piled in the sink, and the fridge was left in such a state that Erza and Mira had just decided to bury it behind the house. There was absolutley nothing that would clean away that filth. The cleaning had taken nearly two days, during which Happy continued to make a mess by dropping fish bones wherever he went. A quick scolding from Erza had stopped that. The expansions were what came next. The girls had both decided after a week of sharing the small space that they needed their own rooms. They quickly piled the cash on from several easy A-ranked jobs, and built two large rooms for themselves attached to the original building. The whole house was clean and tidy. The hammocks were thrown out, and beds were brought in. During this time Happy had been moved in to Mira's room, claiming that Erza was mean to him and was always reading her porn. Erza gave the justified response of throwing the blue furball across Magnolia. He was silent after that, but still bunked with Mira. The only room they hadn't touched more than to clean up was Natsu's trophy room. Mira and Erza had never realized that the pink haired teenager held such a value over these meager items. They could only stare in wonder at all the items he had saved. He had several pages of sloppy handwriting from when Erza had begun to teach him to read and write. He kept flyers from important jobs, paintings of him with Happy, as well as one of him and Lisanna with Happy's egg and a drawing of Igneel on a map. They both felt like trespassers as they stared at the wall.

They left that room alone after that.

Erza grunted as she walked down the path to the city. The past had many sad memories, but with enough work the future could be brighter. Erza could only smile at the thought.

* * *

Kinda short with this chapter. Been having to force myself to sit down and write, but it hasn't been easy with the rush that is life. Can't say I love how the chapter came out, but it seems half decent for being my first chapter. Feel like I gotta work on my pacing a bit, but I also want to get to the good parts. Also the important matter of ages.

Erza: 15

Mira:16

Natsu (Post Ghost revival): 19

Any other girls' ages will be posted when they're added.

The reason for Natsu's age was stated earlier. When the Ghost revives a guardian, it revives them in their prime. So Natsu will be 19, but he will age slowly once he returns home. Trust me, there's a plan there.


	6. Chapter 6

Got another chapter typed out. I'm pretty happy with this one. I'm finally getting to the parts of the story that I'm excited to write about.

* * *

Light

Chapter 6

Natsu could only gawk at the sight before him, for floating in the sky above what he could see of the city, was the Traveller. It was a large white sphere, with several overlapping circles on it's surface. It towered over the city, seemingly dwarfing it and everything around it. It had large, jagged scars along it's bottom half, metal frame of some kind stood exposed to the city beneath it. 'Something big must've hit that thing. hard.' He mused as he watched it float unmoving. Specter had told him that it was dead, but he felt something different. He felt like it was just... sleeping? 'Does this thing sleep?' He thought to himself. He saw small dots fly through the sky all around it, and felt his mind and stomach hurt when Specter told him that those were passenger class shuttles, and that they were the size of a train car. He felt a rush of excitement, he was almost there! 'I'm one step closer to home...' He thought hopefully. He looked over to Specter, the Ghost floating gently as it stared at the Traveler. He slowly reached over behind the floating object and grabbed it in his hand before throwing it forward. The object let out a suprised chirp as it suddenly flew through the air towards the Traveler, Natsu hot on it's tail as he let out a loud laugh.

"Move your mechanical ass, Specter. We ain't getting any younger!"

"we aren't getting any older either, guardian." Specter could only belt out, yet maintained his hurried pace ahead of the pink haired teenager. It knew that if it slowed down, it would only be thrown again as the eager man-child of a guardian was prone to excited bouts of throwing the poor Ghost as far as he could in any directon. It could only hurry ahead as it's own sense of relief flooded it. It had found it's guardian, AND it seemed he was someone who was important to the survival of the solar system and the Traveler. Natsu could only roll his eyes at Specter calling him guardian. It did it to annoy him and they both knew that it worked. He kept silent, remembering to throw the Ghost in to a box or bag if he got the chance. Teach it a thing or two about lightening up. 'Heh. Light-en up... stupid puns can be funny...' He thought in amusement as they flew towards the checkpoint that would let them in to the city.

It was another hour of running before they came to the checkpoint on the Wall. Natsu could only gape at the massive structure. It stood hundreds of feet tall, made out of reinforced cement. He could see crosses of metal bars poking through at random areas, likely results of gunfights going on in protection of the Last City. He looked to the top and saw huge guns sticking off, staring to the horizon, likely to shoot down any ships that flew too close. He arrived to the checkpoint only to find it empty. Him and Specter looked around for several minutes, yet found nothing to signify where the guards of the gate were.

"Well, looks like we'll just... go in?" Natsu could ask unsurely at Specter. The Ghost looked to him, it's digital reptilian eye narrowing in thought.

"I don't think that's a good idea. I believe we should wait here for an escort. City security is taken highly, and I don't want to have to revive you time after time because of a misunderstanding." Specter spoke in it's deep voice as it stared at Natsu. The teenager could only shrug before walking up to the gate, and proceeding to try and force it open. He realized his mistake all too soon as an alarm screamed out. It bellowed long and loud as it alerted anyone nearby to the potential danger. Natsu quickly fell to his bottom and backpedaled from the gate and Specter fled to the surrounding forest as several loud booms sounded out around him. He had just gotten far enough away to miss being destroyed by the falling guardians. Three large and very heavily armoured titans fell from the top of the wall and landed in front of him. He narrowed his eyes as they stood up, all wearing the same blue and orange armour, and took combat stances in front of him. He raised himself off the ground and grinned viciously, his fists catching fire as they slowly began to spread around him. He didn't allow it as he leapt at the first titan, fist pulled back to deliver a wild haymaker to the armoured head. He felt the satisfying crack as he made impact, only to feel it turn to horror as the armour gave way and smashed in to the man's head. The crunch that echoed through the checkpoint would haunt Natsu as he pulled his fist away to find bits of skull and brain matter attached to his hand. The titan slumped over dead as a white Ghost floated above him.

"Guardian Down!" It declared in a distinctly feminine voice. The other two titans nodded to each other before two matching assault rifles seemed to phase in to their hands. Natsu, sensing the danger, moved to intercept the next guardian before he could be shot. He hadn't come this far to be killed by the people he was trying to help! He reared his fist back, aiming his punch to the man's chest to avoid killing him. He was horrified to feel his fist connect and the armour give. The man slumped off of Natsu's fist as he too fell over, another white Ghost coming out.

"Guardian Down!" This one's voice was nearly as deep as Specter's. The last of the titans chose to back away, pushing something on the ear of it's helmet. "We need reinforcements at Sector 18! We have two downed guardians, and I'm not sure of my chances. Assailant unknown, but human." The female voice sounded out before the titan returned to her combat stance, her rifle aimed at Natsu. He sighed as he weighed his odds. She was across the clearing and while he was fast, he wasn't faster than a bullet. He also didn't want to fight the woman. He disliked fighting women in general, sans Erza of course. She could barely be considered human with her mindset, let alone female. Grunting, he stood out of his stance, cutting the flames to his fist, and raising his hands in the air. He waited for her to move, or say something, or for anything in general to happen.

He didn't stand for long before there were three more booms and a shuttle floated above the clearing. The back opened and nearly 20 guardians in the same orange and blue armour jumped out of the back, followed by a man in silver and white armour stood across the clearing and watched him. He didn't wear a helmet, showing his blue skin and bald head. His glowing blue eyes took in Natsu's form as the guards knocked him to his knees and cuffed him.

Zavala watched as the teen kept eye contact with him, even as he dealt with five rifle barrels in his face at once. He had been stuck with wall duty for the last month, and aside from fallen scouting parties, this was the most interesting thing to happen. He looked over to the two bodies of the guards, Ghosts still gently floating above them. He walked over to the Ghosts and raised his hands to them. He touched each of them, channeling some of his light to his process to speed up the revive. The Ghosts whirred before the bodies suddenly disappeared, before the exact people that Natsu had killed appeared out of particle of light several feet above the ground. They dropped to the ground and knelt in front of Zavala.

"You two have been growing lax in your training if this teenager managed to kill you." He spoke in a deep monotone as he watched the guardians flinch. The first one to die raised his head.

"Sir, he is no normal teen! He hit us with a Sol melee. I assume him to be from the Sol Order on Mercury." He spoke with a slight southern accent. Zavala could only widen his eyes as he looked over to the teenager, his eyes still following him. Zavala walked over to the teen, ordering his men to stand down as he moved.

"State your name, boy." He spoke with authority.

"Natsu Dragneel. You?" He spoke with rebellion in his tone. Zavala already knew this teenager would give him a headache. He had thought he had gotten his fair share as Cayde had finally gotten his wish and gone back outside the wall. Last he had heard, he was meeting up with some hunter in the old Americas. Zavala shook his head as he focused back on Natsu.

"What is your class?"

"My what?" Natsu blinked at him. Zavala pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Titan, hunter, or warlock?" He spoke in an agitated tone. Natsu cocked his head.

"I'm a wizard. Damn good one too. Why does everyone keep asking that? Why is it so hard to believe that I'm a magic user. I don't use any of those types of magic"

Zavala sighed as he motioned the men holding him to let him go. They released him and Zavala undid the boy's cuffs. He stretched his arms before nodding to the blue skinned man in appreciation. Zavala took a few steps back, as did everyone else, before speaking again.

"Show me."

"Show you what?" Natsu asked in confusion.

"Your 'magic' Natsu. Show me you aren't lying, or I will shoot you down right here. Killing a guardian of the Vanguard is punishable with death. So show me what you have. Everything. Don't you dare hold back..." Zavala warned as he leveled a large hand cannon at Natsu. The teenager could only recoil in shock as the chrome barrel was leveled at him, wings engraved along the sides of the bulky barrel and a large spike and chain on the bottom of the handle. The hammer was pulled back, and Natsu met the glowing blue gaze of the titan leader as he maintained his ready position. He really was ready to end him here, Natsu could only blanch as he channeled as much magic in to his arms. He felt the heat as it seemed to permeate the air around, the other guardians seeming to back away from him as the temperature continued to increase. He watched as the grass around his feet turned to ash, the circle around his feet growing out as he focused more and more power in to his display. The area around him began to singe, the trees 20 feet away began to turn yellow as they dried, and they all seemed to catch fire. Natsu had never felt this kind of power from himself before. He wondered if Specter had something to do with the boost. He continued to force out his magical power, not even noticing that he had caught fire.

Zavala could only stare in shock as the teenager erupted in to white hot flames, the only visible things being red slit eyes, and a red mark on his left arm. Zavala felt the heat begin to consume the life of those around him, several guardians slumping to one knee before jumping backwards as far as they could, their only focus now on getting away from this monstrous power. Zavala trained his light through his body before throwing his arms outwards, a large purple dome encompassing him, saving him from the heat that had begun to turn the sand around the teenagers feet to glass. He could only stare in shock as the rifle a guardian dropped slowly melt in to a puddle of crackling metal.

'Impossible...' The blue skinned man could only stare as the teenager let out a deep roar, deeper than even Skolas had bellowed at the battle for the Wall. Zavala looked as the area outside the dome was consumed by flames. He then took notice of a Ghost, deep red and trimmed in gold with one yellow slit eye, as it floated through the flames unaffected, and floated in front of the teenager. 'A... Guardian...' Zavala felt awed as he could only make out the dark silhouette of the Ghost, the only visible thing being the unblinking eye. He watched it narrow in focus on all of them before Natsu suddenly cut off his power. He fell forward to his knees and began panting as Zavala's dome faded from existence.

Zavala could only stare at the devastation around them. The Wall was steaming, the gate had melted completely. The ground around the teen for nearly 100 feet in all directions had turned in to a blackened glass, sans the perfect circle around Zavala. He began to slowly walk forward, his boots occasionally picking up some still molten sections of glass as he moved. He came to a stop in front of the panting teenager, the pink haired guardian lifting his gaze to meet Zavala's. The man couldn't help but be impressed at the now proven guardian before him. He had so much power, Zavala couldn't even begin to fathom his future prowess. He lowered his hand to Natsu, who stared at it for a moment before grabbing and using it to pull himself up.

"Was that good enough for you?" Natsu asked raggedly at the blue skinned titan. Zavala gave a small grin before heft the teenagers arm over his shoulder and began walking back to the newly arrived shuttle. Natsu just walked along with him, figuring he would be taken to where he could finally give them the information he knew. Zavala brought him in to the rear of the shuttle and sat him down on one of the benches that lined the back bay. He buckled Natsu in before walking back to the front of the ship and issuing an order to the pilot and walked back, sitting across from him and buckling himself in. The pilot nodded and pushed several buttons on the console before the ship took quickly to the skies. Natsu groaned and rolled his head before suddenly perking up in realization.

He didn't feel sick!

He was on a moving vehicle and he didn't feel sick! He began whooping in joy as the ship continued towards the Tower. Zavala stared at the teen in confusion before chuckling and crossing his arms in his own seat. He wasn't sure why the guardian was excited, but at least he seemed genuinely happy for some reason. The shuttle ride went by relatively fast, given that it only had to travel several dozen miles and was a speedy craft. The shuttle pulled towards a landing bay on the Tower before gently floating in and landing in one of the two ship bays with a soft thud. The back bay of the ship opened and Zavala was quick to unclasp his buckle before helping Natsu do the same. They both disembarked the ship, Natsu staring in amazement at everything going on around him. He was so caught up in his stupor, that he missed bumping right in to someone and knocking them to the ground. He looked down to see a young woman, no older than 16, wearing brown overalls and a grey sleeveless shirt with short blonde hair. She sat on the ground, scowling up at him.

"Watch where you're walking in my hangar, jackass!" She yelled out with a thick southern accent. Natsu snapped out of himself and offered a hand to the woman, who was quick to slap his hand away and stand up on her own. She stood a full head shorter than him, but matched his apologetic gaze with a glare that he felt would make Mirajane flinch. He was quick to belt out apologies, following her as she walked back to a work bench.

Zavala could only stare as the teenager followed their new mechanic. She had just transferred to Tower 6 from Tower 2, the Vanguard representative saying she had a slight anger issue. Aside from that, he mused, she was an amazing mechanic, probably one of the few who could repair Golden Age technology. He chuckled as she picked up a large wrench and began to stalk towards the pink haired teenager, who was quickly retreating past the blue skinned titan in fear. Zavala let him pass, but grabbed the girl by the back of her overalls as she tried to get by, no doubt intent on making the teenager's Ghost work hard on revivals for a few hours. She quickly rounded on who dared to stop her from beating her newly found annoyance to a pulp, only to deflate at the stern gaze of Zavala.

"I think that is enough, Amanda. He has never seen any of this before, so it's understandable that he wouldn't be paying attention to his surroundings. Plus, he already apologized, multiple times if I heard correctly." He finished with a smirk. She stared at him before sighing and handing him the wrench, which he gladly took from her. He released her and turned to hand it to a maintenance droid, only to turn back and see her throttling the pink haired teenager.

"You think I need a wrench to make you bleed, jackass?! I'll do it with my own bare hands!" Her accent getting thicker in anger. Zavala just stood by, letting it happen. He sighed when he realized that if Natsu had wanted, he could easily turn the mechanic to ash, and there would be no Ghost to revive her. She wasn't a guardian, after all. He watched her shake Natsu violently for a moment before releasing him. He slumped over, catching his breath as he stood back up. He stared her down for a moment before sighing and meeting her glare with a smile. She was taken aback as he extended his hand to her.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel. Nice to meet you." His eager voice met her ears. She stared at his hand in confusion before taking it. She shook his hand, noting it seemed to have a pleasant warmth, before releasing it.

"I'm Amanda. Amanda Holiday. I guess it's ok to meet you, so long as you don't get in my way again. Jackass." She grunted at him before turning her gaze away from him to look at their shuttle. Natsu squawked in indignation before grunting.

"My name is Natsu. Not 'Jackass'." he growled out as she turned back to look at him, surprise in her face before she scowled at him.

"Your name to me is whatever I call you. You bumped in to me like a jackass, ergo 'Jackass'. got it, Jackass?" She belted back at him. He quickly turned to Zavala, who stood with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. He tapped his wrist quickly, signaling they had to move. Natsu grunted in irritation as they began to walk away. A chain gate opened for them, and they proceeded to walk through. Natsu quickly turned before it shut and yelled to the mechanic.

"I guess I'll be seeing you around, Shorty!" He ran through the gate, watching it close as a wrench impacted it harshly. Him and Zavala turned to see the short blonde stalking across the bay towards the gate, grabbing another wrench as she walked.

"You know she will kill you if she gets through this gate?" Zavala spoke as he watched the red faced woman continue towards them. Natsu looked over at him. "You wouldn't let her kill me." His statement was more of a question towards the end. Zavala looked to him a shrugged. "I wouldn't want to get in her way right now. It's been quite some time since my Ghost has needed to revive me, and I don't want to have today break that streak. You're on your own, Natsu."

Natsu paled before running up to the gate. Zavala watched as he placed his hands on the gate's latch before fire burst from his fingertip. Zavala watched Natsu concentrate the flame and weld the latch closed. Natsu took a few steps back as the blonde fury finally reached the gate and tried to open it, only for it to rattle in it's place. Amanda shook the gate violently, beating it with a wrench as she tried to get through to the pink haired jackass.

"Open this gate and let me kill you, Jackass!" Amanda hollered out, only to watch Natsu walk up to the gate and stare in to her eyes. She was momentarily quelled as she stared in to his eyes, noting small flecks of green in his black eyes.

"You know, once you get by the 'whole fearing for your life thing', you're kinda cute when you're angry." Natsu spoke low enough for her to hear. She chocked on her spit and began to sputter with a deep blush before her anger returned with a vengeance.

"You let me out right now, Jackass! I swear to the Traveler and Speaker that I am going to make you bleed for this. You aren't going to just get away with this, you stupid Jackass!" By this point Natsu backed away as the girl beat against the gate with a wrench, foam coming from her mouth as she yelled. Natsu quickly ran to Zavala, who then proceeded to jog out of the hangar with Natsu in tow. The banging of the gate and ranting of the blonde were soon drowned out as Natsu and Zavala approached the common area in the Tower. He could only stare in awe off of the balcony, the floating Traveler even larger from this angle, granting him a perfect view of the Last City beneath it and the Wall around it. He saw huge buildings stretch up to almost touch the bottom of the Traveler. He grabbed on to the railing and stared down, feeling a small churning in his gut as he couldn't see the ground. 'Guess that's why they call these things 'Towers' eh.' he thought idly. He turned around to see Zavala speaking to a blue skinned man in robes standing outside of a small booth. The man quickly motioned for Natsu to come over, patting him gently on the shoulder when he did. Natsu met the man's wise gaze as he spoke.

"Hello guardian, I am Master Rahool. I am the cryptarch of this Tower. I decrypt and decipher anything in old or dead languages. I can speak in many dead tongues as well." Natsu stared in excitement at the man before asking for a demonstration. The man smiled and cleared his throat before speaking.

"I am a bright Tuesday, with a cheeseburger." Rahool spoke slowly, only to stare in confusion as Natsu broke out in to a fit of laughter. Rahool stared at him before asking what was so funny. Natsu stopped laughing and asked him to translate what he said. Rahool stood up as he spoke.

"I said that I am a proud warrior, who never goes hungry. Why, what did you hear?" Natsu quickly conveyed to him what he spoke, and laughed as his eyes widened and he stumbled over his words. He grabbed Natsu by the shoulder and pulled him down to look him straight in the eye.

"You can understand this?"

"Yup."

"And this?"

"Yup."

"About what this?"

"It's actually pronounced 'What about this', but yes."

Rahool stood up straight before looking at the gobsmacked Zavala. He would have chuckled at the titan's expression, had he not been so flabbergasted by this boy. He knew four dead languages by heart that Rahool only knew samples of from texts. He gently released Natsu, before flying over and holding Zavala by his head and staring at him with mad eyes.

"You must let me have this boy. Hey could work for me! I'll feed him and make sure he gets plenty of water. I promise that I'll take care of him. Give him to me Zavala!" Said titan could only pry Rahool's hands off of his face before backing away from the maddened cryptarch. He slowly motioned for Natsu to run as he kept the deranged man's attention. Natsu did as instructed and slowly and quietly crept away from the crazy man. He jogged up some stares and hid behind a tree. A loud grunt caught his attention as he turned to look at what made the noise. He saw a robot standing behind a table covered in guns. He slowly walked up as he took in all of it. There were all different kinds of weapons out, and the equipment to machine and maintain them surrounded them robot. He shook his head and glanced at the robot, who was staring at him with a seemingly bored expression. He raised a hand at the teenager.

"What, kid? Haven't you ever seen an Exo before?" His voice was low and deep. He seemed to be a man of few words as he stared at Natsu, who could only shake his head in the negative. "Sorry, I'm really new to the area, so I've never seen a robot like you before."

The Exo seemed to frown before poking the guardian in the chest, hard. "I said I'm an Exo. Don't get me confused with those service droids. All Exo have their own thoughts and wants, while those hunks of tin are built to serve. Remember that before you run your mouth, kid." Natsu raised his hands up in apology at the Exo, taking in his appearance as he did. His head was metal and blue, and seemed almost skeletal. It hand two large yellow stripes that started where his eyebrows would be, and continued over the top of his head and to the back. He had metal spikes jutting out and forming a sort of crown and two metal discs capped over where his ears would be. His mechanical eyes were a very light blue in colour as they shifted around to stare at the teenager. He wore a blue robe, covered by a large green scarf. He crossed his yellow hands in front of himself, resting one metal hand over the other in his lap. He stared at Natsu for a moment longer, and was about to speak before Zavala appeared and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Sorry to interrupt, Banshee, but Natsu here has a meeting with the Vanguard. I'll just be taking him out of your... spikes?" Zavala could only ask. Banshee could only chuckle before waving them away. Zavala nodded at him awkwardly before guiding Natsu towards a set of stairs that led down. He followed them down and passed several people standing at attention as they moved. He noticed a man in white and orange armour. Fur topped his shoulders, and a single ram's horn stuck out the side of his helmet. The man took in his appearance before chuckling and turning back to the light tablet in his hand. Natsu was pushed forward before coming to a room covered in papers. A large map was spread over the table as a dark skinned woman with incredibly short hair poured over the map with intense focus. She was wearing purple and orange robes and had a Ghost floating over her table and speaking in a gentle tone. Zavala cleared his throat, catching the woman's attention. She straightened up and looked at Natsu.

"I take it that this boy is our 'Hostility Issue' from Sector 18?" Her voice was calm, and even though she had asked, Natsu knew she wasn't asking a question. Zavala patted him on the shoulder and walked in to the room as he told her his name, his Ghost materializing from light particles over his shoulder as he took his place at the end of the table. Natsu stared for a moment before walking in to the room. The woman looked him up and down before speaking.

"I am Ikora Rey. I am the Warlock Master, and you've already met the Titan Master, Zavala." Said bald blue man could only nod at Natsu before Ikora spoke again. "And if my reports coming in are correct, you met our mechanic." She held back a smirk as Natsu paled slightly and Ikora spoke again. "She's through that gate, by the way. Just thought I'd let you know. She doesn't know you're here, but this place isn't exactly huge, and she will be by sooner or later to speak with me about my ship."

Natsu was beginning to sweat as Zavala began to chuckle. Ikora looked over to him, meeting his eye as they both nodded.

"I would introduce you to the Hunter Master, but he is away on a mission right now, and even then I think getting him down here would be a miracle in and of itself." Ikora spoke with a roll of her eyes. Zavala chuckled before replying to her. "You know Cayde wouldn't be here unless the Vanguard High Command and Speaker both demanded him be here. It's good to let him out every now and then. He gets stir crazy, and even more annoying after a while." Zavala spoke with a twitching brow. Ikora gently chuckled before motioning Natsu to sit down in a chair across from her. Natsu complied before Ikora and Zavala sat down across from him. They stared at each other in silence before Ikora was the first to break it.

"So, this report I found from Tower Three about four months ago, filed from a very reliable guardian named Kabr, speaks of a 'pink haired teenager' who wielded a very powerful yet untrained Sol element. Vanguard command decided to send Kabr back to Venus, yet sent this teenager with his scouting party to trek to the Last City while the Wall was being defended from a Fallen assault. The assault was repelled, even though Tower Three fell in the process, and the scouting team was assumed killed. Yet, I see a teenager somewhat matching Kabr's description in front of me who witnesses say was wielding an incredibly powerful Sol element. So tell me, are you the same boy that Kabr spoke of?" She stared intently at Natsu, who could only nod. He was about to speak when a loud chirping interrupted him. He turned just in time to see Specter flying at full speed, before colliding with his forehead. He flew from his chair as the Ghost continued to assault him. Ikora and Zavala could only take in the strange Ghost's appearance as it attacked the teenager. Zavala was reminded of earlier, and the display that Natsu had given off. He shuddered as the Ghost turned and faced him, it's digital yellow slit narrowing in anger.

"When a guardian boards a ship, I believe it is polite to also make sure it's Ghost is on board as well." Zavala bowed his head.

"I apologize, everything moved a little bit too fast for anyone's liking, but we needed to speak with him at Tower." The red Ghost seemed to accept his apology before focusing on Natsu, who sat back up with a knot on his forehead. It thunked itself against his head again, causing Natsu to wince.

"What about you, guardian? We are partnered up. I told you this time and time again. How could you just leave your partner behind like that?" The Ghost spoke in anger. It caught Natsu's gaze as it darkened and he lowered his gaze to the floor. His fists clenched repeatedly before he sighed and looked up to face Specter.

"Sorry buddy, I kinda got off track. It happens sometimes. I promise I won't leave you behind again. Ok?" Specter accepted his apology and turned to hover behind him. Ikora could only sigh as the personal business came to a close.

"Now Natsu, I want you to star from the beginning. Tell me everything."

Natsu took a deep breath as he recounted the tale from the beginning.

"Well... It all started with a fight..."

* * *

Let me know what you think of this chapter. I've also been thinking of writing a one shot to improve my repertoire of written pieces. PM me any ideas you may have about an interesting girl that would be paired with Natsu. I'd love to hear what you all would like to see. May even put a poll up if I can't decide. I dunno yet.

Temper


	7. Chapter 7

Light

Chapter 7

Natsu had just finished recounting his tale to the Vanguard leaders. Zaval sat, his jaw clenched and brows narrowed, as his eyes searched all over the table in thought. Ikora hadn't budged more than to shift in her seat a few times and blink. Natsu felt a little nervous about the dark skinned woman. She was even tones, and semed gentle, but he could feel some sort of wild animal under her calm facade. She mae him feel as if he were merely inches tall. Her sharp eyes kept focus on him the entire time, and he couldn't shake the feeling that she wouldn't hesitate to end him.

He understood her on some level.

She was like him, a guardian protecting what she held dear, the only difference between them being that he had a feeling that she had killed for her order. Natsu idly wondered if he would be able to take a life like these guardians could. If he would ever be able to kill with the ease that he knew they could. He figured that he would, he was a guardian now after all. He wasn't too sure what all had changed about him since his revival. His power seems to have multiplied over itself nearly ten fold, and he knew he was aged quite a bit. He would have to ask Specter how old he was when he got a chance. He had also noticed that his intellect had grown even more after his revival, something he wasn't sure enough to attribute to what he stole from the Darkness itself, or if it had to do with his revival. 'Just another question for Specter...' Natsu mused. It seemed him and the Ghost were going to have to have a long talk when they had some time to themselves. He heard a throat clearing, making him snap back in to focus to look at the irritated visage of Zavala.

"Did you hear anything I just said, Natsu?" He asked with a twitching eyebrow.

"Not a word!" He replied to the blue skinned man with a cheer. Zavala smacked his hand against his face and Ikora chuckled lowly at the Titan Master's constantly having to deal with sarcastic characters.

"First Cayde, and now Natsu. I wonder who or what you pissed off to bring you to such unfavorable circumstances, Zavala." Ikora teased him lightly before hearing Natsu snort. She turned her head to face him, locking eyes with him. "from what I have heard and what I can feel of your mind, you are being honest. I suppose the next step would be to have you meet the Speaker, and from there, be officially debriefed by the Warlock Order. Will you comply?" She asked him, her tone at the end losing it's warmth. Natsu felt the aura of the room change when she spoke to him. Zaval was tense, his Ghost floating directly behind him, Ikora's floating in front of her and rotating quickly as it stared at him. He looked in to the dark skinned woman's eye, noticing any hint of care was gone, only an unfeeling coldness gazing down at him. He gulped and nodded slightly, feeling the tension leave his body as she smiled gently at him. "Good, then I'll have you follow me to the Speaker. He will definitly want to meet you." She stood, gesturing him to follow.

They had just made it down the hall, when a scream from back in the Vanguard meeting room caused them both to halt.

"Don't bullshit me Zavala! I know he was in here, and you were with him last. Bring his ass out here for locking me in the landing bay so I can kick his ass, or so help me I will rig your ship to break apart in orbit. Bring him to me now!" A loud and very southern accent echoed through the halls, causing the Crucible Handler to look up to Natsu and begin laughing as the teenager and Ikora quickly fled up the stairs.

Ikora couldn't stop herself from chuckling as the teenager sprinted up the steps two at a time. She had to give him credit though, nobody had been able to piss off Amanda Holiday as badly as he did, and he hadn't even spoken to her for five minutes. She supposed it was in his nature to get under peoples' skin though, if his interactions with Zavala were anything to go by. 'Him and Cayde would get along greatly.' She mused, hoping he would get stationed to this Tower. It would liven the place up a bit to see someone so, interesting, running around. She only hoped that he didn't get himself obliterated by the angry mechanic.

* * *

The two guardians had proceeded up th staircase and through the common area before going down a large corridor opposite of the one that lead to the hangar. They went down several sets of stairs and down a long hallway before turning a corner. Natsu's eyes looked over to the right to see several guardians standing in front of an elderly blonde woman. He stared in surprise aas their armour began to cycle through several different colours, before they finally settled on the blue and orange colour of the vanguard that he had seen the guardians at the Wall wear. They both high fived, before running by him and down the corridor that he had just come from. He looked ove to the left to see a man in regal red robes speaking to several kneeling guardians around a fire. They all were adourned in armour that was red and white, and had a strange symbol on their armour. The man spoke, too quiet for Natsu to hear too clearly, but he must've said something right, judging by how the kneeling guardians stood and began to clap and cheer. He looked over to Ikora, who could only sigh before answering his unasked question.

"The would be New Monarchy. They're a faction that has seen a sudden rise in support since the Fallen attacked the wall. They're one of the main reasons that Tower Three fell. Their leader was corrupt, and squandered their defensive capabilities to prove how New Monarchy guardians were better than any automated defense we could have. Turned out, that those guardians didn't stand a chance against a Fallen skiff and nearly 50 Captains. Sad thing is, they destroyed nearly all of the records there, thus stopping us from disbanding their faction. They seek to control Tower and overthrow the speaker." She spoke with disdain at the end.

Natsu was stunned. How could such a dishonest group not only thrive through their own corruption, but still think that they were in the right to do so? Natsu made eye contact with the man, who gently waved the teenager over. Natsu was about to refuse, but Ikora beat him to it, standing in front of the teenager, blocking Natsu from even going near. The man scoffed before raising his hand, causing several of the guardians to stand, each bearing some sort of weapon and staring down the warlock. Ikora responded by holding her hand out to the side before a shotgun appeared in her hand. It was sleek and black in colour, and had several intricate orange markings along it. She brought the gun in to her hands, smiling when she noticed the entire precession in front of her backed down. She kept the gun in her hands as she motioned Natsu to move towards the large doorway on a building just a little further ahead. He proceeded forward towards it, noting that Ikora was walking with her back to him, still facing down the group, shotgun leveled at them from her hip. Natsu rounded the corner and entered the building, with Ikora stopping at the doorway and facing outwards to keep guard.

The first thing Natsu noticed was the large concave shape in the center of the room. Lined with foam spikes for some odd reason. He noticed a strange device, seemingly take up the whole room. It began to rotate around, several smaller rings inside of it spinning in opposite directions before an image of the Traveler appeared inside the spinning rings. He watched it continue to spin as the image grew clearer, several areas highlighted in red on the image, before the spinning stopped, and the image faded away.

"So you are the newest of the guardians to grace my Tower, and quite the anamoly if Ikora and Zavala are to be believed..."

Natsu looked to the top of a curved staircase against the wall to see a man in regal white robes and an angular mask looking down at him. He slowly decended the stairs and stood in front of Natsu, both just silently taking in each other. Natsu stared at the man for a few more moments before tilting his head.

"Sup?"

Natsu felt something hard impact the back of his head and turned to see Specter floating there disoriented, Ikora's hand still extended. "Oi!" He exclaimed before he heard a chuckle. He turned to see the Speaker chuckling and motioning Natsu to follow him. He rubbed the forming lump on the back of his head as he followed the man over to the balcony, both staring silently at the Traveler for a moment.

"You know, I normally give a speech to every new guardian that comes to us," He spoke, his words crisp and clear, his tone gentle but strong. "But I feel that you are special in a way that I can not even begin to fathom. I have read Kabr's reports, and I felt my interest piqued when you were mentioned in them. I feel that you have invaluable knowledge that can help us better undertand the Light, as well as the Darkness itself." His voice seemed hopeful to Natsu, who couldn't help but hum in agreement before voicing his own concerns.

"I know you want my help, and I will provide it to you, but I will also be trying my absolute damndest to be getting home as well." He spoke, hoping the speaker understood what it meant. The man nodded before sighing gently.

"I know, Natsu, that is why I am not giving you the story that everyone else gets. This is our fight, and you are nothing more than a forceful passenger to our battles. I can't promise you the support of everyone, but you will have the support of those who matter, all we ask in return is that you help us." He spoke, facing the young man. Natsu stared at the mask before a smile made it's way on to his face.

"I wouldn't be a mage of Fairy Tail if I didn't help those who needed it!" He smashed his fists together, a small burst of fire coming from them. The Speaker seemed unaffected, merely patting his robes and placing a hand on Natsu's shoulder, getting his focus again.

"I'm glad to hear that, truly I am. We will need to change a few things though. You fight as if the enemies are those you fought at your home. This is not the case. To fight our enemies, you will have to learn to fight like us. I can have the Vanguard put you through a basic combatives course, and then we can discover exactly what class you fall under." He spoke as he pulled out a small tablet and held it out. Ikora walked over and grabbed it, nodded, and stood back by the door. The Speaker then turned to face Natsu again. "We will need somewhere to put you when the Warlocks are finished debriefing you. We don't have much room, we recently had to deal with a Tower falling to invasion, and have had to become a hub for more guardians than we were prepared for. I'm sorry to say that you will be sharing a living space with one of our other transfers. I hope you don't mind too much..." He spoke with a questioning tone in his voice. Natsu shook his head in the negative.

"I'm fine with whatever. Just let me know how quickly I can begin my training." He spoke with confidence. Seeing that their meeting was done, the Speaker nodded to Ikora who quickly came and collected the newest guardian, and began to move him out of the room to speak with the Warlock Order. He ascended his staircase to stand in fron of a wall lined with bookshelves, staring at them all before sighing and turning to the Traveler. 'All of this knowledge, and we still know so little... I hope that he can change all of that soon. Maybe he will be the turning point in this fading war of attrition...' The speaker thought to himself. Though he would never admit it, they defenders of the Traveler and the Light were slowly losing. More and more guardians were meeting their end, and there were less and less Ghosts spotted reviving anyone. They were losing what little ground they held, and it was only a matter of time unless something tipped the balance in their favor.

* * *

Natsu followed behind Ikora, watching all of the strange figures adorned in robes as they seemed to hustle around. They were all adorned in long blue and orange coats, with strange armbands that projected a symbol of the Vanguard on to their right arm. 'I wonder if I can get one of those...' he thought idly as he scratched at the clothing covering his guild mark up. He had always shown it with pride, but he understood the need for the armour here won out over his pride in every case, shuddering as he remembered the Fallen round that nearly tore his arm off before his death. He was brought out of his musings as he was sat down in a chair. He noticed Ikora take the seat opposite of him, staring unflichingly in to his eyes as several other warlocks surrounded him on either side. He felt them lay their hands on his temples as Ikora began to speak.

"Natsu, we are going to debrief you now. We would normally just write your responses and experiences, but your case is a special one. We are going to use an ancient form of Light manipulation to pull the information in your brain and project it to our recording systems for further analysis. I won't lie, it is going to hurt, but you have no idea how badly we need this information. Are you ready?"

Natsu didn't even have time to register her words before feeling a searing pain shoot through his skull. He felt all of his memories being dragged to the surfacce again. He felt tears in his eyes as he was forced to see his friends again, and the pain in his chest at how badly he missed them. The pain turned to burning anger as he was forced to relive his torture at the hands of the Vex, and his conversation with the Infinite Mind that controlled them. He watched his encounter with Kabr and his team, and everything else that led him to where he was currently, before the pain suddenly vanished. He opened his eyes in shock at the sight that greeted him. There were multiple gun barrels in his face, Ikora's shotgun being the most prominent. He looked at her in confusion, noting the fear in her eyes as he looked around the room. He saw several of the warlocks that had initiated the ritual slumped against a wall, portions of them missing, most missing a hand or entire arm, the wounds smoking. He looked up to Ikora, raising his hands up in surrender, causing her to let out a relieved sigh and lower her weapon and signal the others to do so. They complied, but kept the weapons out just in case they needed them. Natsu looked to the Warlock master in confusion.

"What happened?"

"You... You had a bit of an episode. We had just finished your conversation with the Infinite Mind, and were moving on to Kabr's rescue, when you suddenly caught fire. We felt the Darkness engulf the room, and then the warlocks over there began to scream. We all had to cut the ritual, lest they be reduced to ash. I'm sure they'll be ok, but if you had continued to go as you were, we would've had to put you down." She spoke in a slightly tired tone, causing Natsu to tilt his head in confusion.

"Well Specter would've just revived me, right?" Ikora shook her head.

"No, Natsu. When the Darkness consumes an area, it will not vanish until it has consumed a set amount of Light. It's like a vacuum, draining the light until it meets it's equilibrium, it's balance, and then it dissipates. Your Light would've been devoured and nothing would bring you back. Be glad you stopped when you did..." She spoke in a firm tone. Natsu gulped in fear when he realized what would've happened.

They would've killed him.

Rightly so, he mused to himself. He was a threat and a danger to people that Ikora was in charge of, and seemed to care for a great deal for. It made sense that she would choose her people over him, because that's exactly what he would do. He nodded to Ikora, who could only extend her hand, grasping his and pulling him to his feet. He stumbled and felt incredibly dizzy, his stomach churning as Ikora slung his arm over her shoulder and began walking him out. He nodded in and out of focus as he walked with her on auto pilot. He vaguely heard several doors open and shut, before he was slumped on to a bed of some kind. He felt Ikora toss a blanket over him, telling him how he would take tomorrow off, and that the following day would begin his training. He nodded tiredly as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Natsu was awoken the following day to a shrill yell and something hard impacting his skull. He rubbed his head as he sat up and began cursing, only to look up and see the blonde woman that he had met in the hangar the previous day standing in the doorway to what he assumed was his room. She stood in a white wifebeater shirt and loose sweats. He noted that her short hair seemed frazzled, sticking up in several directions. He stared at her for a moment before looking around for what hit him, coming face to face with Specter. He rolled his eyes before grabbing the Ghost and holding it at eye level.

"We have to do something about you constantly getting thrown at me. You're made of metal, and have some sharp corners. It fuckin' hurts." He spoke calmly to the Ghost, who began to chirp and struggle in Natsu's grasp. He released the Ghost, only to watch it float to the ceiling of the room and perch itself on top of a light. "Well that'll work for now, but we're gonna work on this later..." He stared up to Specter, who only sank further back on to the light. Natsu turned to see the blonde still standing there, fuming at having been ignored for so long. She was about to speak, before going silent as Natsu held his hand up and stood from the bed. He looked over to her before speaking.

"Yell later, first bathroom. Where is it?"

Amanda bristled in anger at this pink haired jackass. She had been notified by Zavala that she would have a room mate. She wasn't all that opposed, figuring that they would be good company, but imagine her surprise to awaken to a strange Ghost analyzing her in her bed. She was quick to grab it and go give her new 'roomie' a piece of her mind, only to lose it when she saw it was that jackass. Then he has the nerve to ignore her, and begin to speak with his Ghost before asking her where the bathroom was. She pointed a finger at a door down the hall, causing him to let out a quick thanks and head quickly out of the room, brushing by her and going down the hallways and through the door. She quickly ran and locked the door before he figured it out. She had just turned the latch when he began to rapidly pound against the door, causing her to laugh at the jackass.

Natsu was pissed. That little midget devil had lied to him, and now he found himself locked outside of his new abode, and badly needing to pee. He searched around, spotting a potted plant in the corner. He made sure nobody was around before running over to it, quickly undoing his zipper and beginning to pee. He sighed in relief as he felt the pressure on his bladder lessen. Once he was done with that, he walked back over and began to knock on his door again.

"Oi! Shorty, let me in!"

"Who are you calling short, Jackass?!" He heard her yell back through the door. He chuckled before replying.

"I'm calling you short, you angry little demon. Now let me in, I've been wearing these clothes since my revival, and I would very much like to shower and change in to something clean."

"What's the magic word?" She asked sweetly through the door. Natsu sighed before replying.

"Please?"

"That's not my magic word. My magic word is 'Fuck off'. So go fuck off somewhere else, Pinky." Natsu felt his eye twitching as he took a step away from the door and took several deep breaths.

"Ok, if that's how you want to play it, then I'll play too. Step away from the door!" He yelled.

"You wouldn't dare!" He heard her speak.

"Watch me, Shorty!" And with that, he took several steps forward and kicked the door in, watching it fly off it's hinges and down the hallway. He glanced around coming face to face with a flying blonde. He had a brief moment to comprehend her before she was on him, beating him with a shoe as she held on to his shoulders and straddled his back. He grunted in annoyance before pulling her off of his back and pinning her down on the couch in the living room. She stared up at him, fury burning in her eyes. He sighed before letting her up and beginning to walk back to his room. He had just made it back in and taken off his shirt, when he was met with a squeak at his doorway. He noticed her standing there, anger forgotten and wide eyed as she took in his shirtless form. He watched in amusement as she seemed to stand in a trance as he walked around his room, picking up a spare set of clothes that Ikora had left for him, before walking by her and down the hallway, intent on finding the bathroom.

"You're blush is adorable, by the way!" He spoke loudly as he walked down the hallway. She snapped ot of her trance and began to curse as she got dressed and left for her work day in the hangar. She would deal with that jackass later, but for right now she had to get to her job and help the Vanguard. She wasn't staying here for free, and was intent on earning her stay. Natsu finished his shower, and sighed happily as he changed in to a fresh set of clothes. He walked out of the doorway that lead to his apartment, making sure to prop the borken door up against the entrance and let someone know that it needed to be fixed. He began to walk down several pathways, and followed the signs until he was through a large gate and heading towards the Tower's common area. He avoided the strange cryptarch as he went down in to the hangar, figuring that he would annoy the blonde room mate for his day off. He felt that he had earned it, especially after having recieved the rudest welcoming ever. He walked down a pathway, coming out to see the fenced in hangar and several ships landing. He watched the guardians come out of their ships, each speaking with a droid before walking through the area that him and Zavala had come through. He noticed that the gate was no longer there, but there were some twisted metal remains of what could have been the gate tucked next to the entrance. He chuckled as he walked down the stairway, passing the guardians as he walked out on to the hangar bay. He still couldn't find the blonde haired woman, so he instead took to speaking with several other mechanics. He learned all sorts of things about ships and some of the things needed to maintain them. He wasted most of his day in the hangar, joking with the mechanics and occasionally helping them lift or carry heavier items to ships. He stood by, watching the mechanics he spent his day with leave, bidding him goodbye as they went. He waved back, only to feel something impact the back of his head.

'I swear to god if it's Specter again...' He thought grimly as he began to search for his Ghost, noting it seemed to be hiding somewhere nearby, if the amused chirping he kept hearing was anything to go by. He looked to the floor, seeing a wrench he was sure wasn't there just a moment ago. He recieved his reply when a hand came in to his vision and grabbed him by the collar, tugging him down to meet the annoyed expression of his blonde room mate.

"What are you doing here, Jackass?" She spoke, her voice tired, but annoyed. He looked at her for a moment before gently prying her hands off of his shirt and standing up.

"I came here to bug you, but I couldn't find you, so I helped some of the other guys with some stuff. Mostly lifting, but some of them were cool enough to teach me about ships." He spoke casually, noting her twitching eyebrow. She swore lightly before walking towards the exit. He gingerly followed behind her, taking joy in her stream of curses as she realized they were going to the exact same place, and it was likely that that wasn't going to change any time soon.

* * *

The following day had Natsu beginning his combatives training for the Vanguard. Zavala tested him on all aspects, noting that he passed all of the physical aspects with flying colours, but struggled with weapon maintenance and firing. He focused most of his time on these two fields, forgoing history by order of the Speaker. He had his work cut out for him, but Natsu seemed to have a knack for training himself in to the dirt every day. Zavala appreciated that. He liked that there were still people motivated enough to bettering themselves that they wouldn't just skim by the requirements, but set a new standard. He knew that Natsu would be an amazing guardian, and for as long as he was there would be supporting the Vanguard. He had heard from Ikora about what had happened during his debriefing, but couldn't find any fault on the man's part. Zavala knew that the pink haired man had a spot of Darkness within him, as well as a lot of pain, and drawing out someone's memories whose power was controlled by emotions was a bad idea in any aspect. He had tried to warn Ikora of that beforehand, but she seemed unconcerned with it. 'Maybe now she'll start to listen to me more...' Zavala mused with a smirk as he watched Natsu on the firing range. He grinned as he saw the man's grouping getting better and better with each round. Soon he would be proficient with auto rifles, and they would move on to the next category of weapons.

An entire month had gone by, and with it Natsu had come to fly through his basic training. He found that while he didn't like using guns as much as he used his fists, he still found something that he liked about using the weapons. Once he had learned how to use them properly and maintain them, he had found most of his free time being spent cleaning and tuning his weapons. Following his weapons training in the first two weeks, he was issued a Vanguard ship and taught to fly it, forcing him to cooperate with his roommate. Him and Amanda had come to get along better than their first day, mostly due to Zavala threatening to throw him from the top of the Tower and to suspend Amanda from her duties in the hangar. Natsu noticed how mortified that she seemed at the prospect, and felt a little guilty. He had approached her in the hangar after a test flight and apologized to her, to which she begrudgingly returned. They both agreed that they had gotten off on the wrong foot, and needed to act more civil with each other. After that day, the sailing hadn't been completely smooth, but they were able to stand being around eachother, which was something that Natsu could enjoy.

Natsu arrived to his shared apartment after having finished another day flying all over the city and in to orbit to see something strange. His room mate was standing in the kitchen, stirring something in a bowl as she gently hummed a tune Natsu had never heard. He watched her continue stirring the bowl for several more minutes before walking across the kitchen and pouring the mixture in to a pan, still not having noticed him. She took the pan and placed it in to the oven and turned on a timer, still humming as she washed the few dishes in the sink. She wiped her hands dry and sighed happily before finally noticing her roommate standing in the doorway, gawking at her. She crossed her arms and glared at him.

"What?"

"Nothing!" He answered quickly, holding his hands out in front of him. "I've just never heard you hum before. Or bake. I was just surprised is all." She uncrossed her arms, sighing as she leaned against the counter and looking at him.

"I don't. Not normally anyway. It's just something that me and my mom would do for my birthday. She would wake me up, and we would spend all day doing what I wanted and then we would bake a cake." She answered with a small blush and a hint of sadness. "That all kinda changed when she... Anyway," She spoke quickly, hoping Natsu wouldn't ask about her mother. "What about you?" She asked slowly. "What did you do for your birthday? Start a fire? Start a fight?" She felt a bit of annoyance when Natsu just shrugged.

"I dunno." He answered honestly. "I've never had a birthday. Never knew it."

"You fuckin' with me? You don't know your birthday? Did your parents never tell you or something?" She regretted her question when she saw a sad look on his face.

"I wouldn't know. Never met them. I was adopted, and Igneel never told me what a birthday was. I didn't know it was a thing until I joined Fairy Tail. So I guess I just don't have one. Happy birthday, by the way..." He spoke sadly, walking in to his room with a silent Specter and shutting the door gently, leaving the blonde alone in the kitchen. She cursed quietly as she walked back out in to the living room and plopped down on to the couch. She turned on the television and watched the mindless program as she waited for the cake to finish baking.

Natsu sat on his bed, staring down at the floor as he pitied himself. Specter looked at him as he seemed to be in a deluge of sadness, before realization struck. It floated down in front of the guardian's gaze, catching Natsu's attention.

"You know," It spoke carefully. "While I could not pinpoint your exact age, I can say for certain that I do know your birthday, or at least the day that I can confirm your birth..." It chirped as Natsu suddenly grabbed it.

"When is my birthday, Specter?" Natsu asked, almost madly. Specter chirped and whirred it's way out of his grasp and spoke.

"Your birthday is the day that I revived you. The only consolation I can give you is that it is true. You were reborn that day as a true guardian, and I will be with you until you die, so can you please stop moping around. It is annoying."

Natsu felt a slight pang of disappointment before realization struck him. Specter was right. He didn't know what his actual birthday was, but he did know the day that he was revived by the Ghost. He figured that'd make as good of a day as any, and it was a very important day. After all, he would still be dead if it wasn't for Specter. He nodded to the Ghost before gaining a huge grin and walking out of the room. Specter just stared in confusion before floating up to it's perch and staying there. It preferred to be able to float around freely, and not be trapped in Natsu's pack. He was glad that Natsu was nice enough to not keep it in there like most guardians did after being shown that they could. It was glad that Natsu was it's guardian more and more as the days went by, and it hoped it could follow him on wherever he called home was.

Natsu walked in to the living room, seeing the blonde sitting mindlessly on the couch watching TV. He sat down on the other end of the couch, noticing her stiffen next to him and look over. He heard her speak timidly.

"Hey..."

"Yes?"

"About earlier..." She seemed unsure of her words. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry. I didn't know about, well everything. I guess I don't know too much about you." She chuckled weakly at the end of her sentence. Natsu nodded before looking at her.

"Do you want to know about me? Get to know me, I mean?" He asked her, slightly unsure. She looked in to his eyes for a moment before nodding. He smiled at her gently before opening his mouth to speak.

Ding!

They both looked in to the kitchen before Amanda stood up and walked in to the kitchen, pulling the cake from the oven and setting it on the counter. Natsu felt his mouth water as he took in the scent of apples and cinnamon. Amanda peaked out of the kitchen and made eye contact with him before grinning.

"Cake's up. Want a piece?"

He couldn't get in to the kitchen fast enough. While he didn't eat as much as he used to, he felt that tonight would be an exception. Amanda served him a large slice on a plate and gave him a warning of it's heat. Natsu sat at the table, and she joined just a minute later. They both smiled gently before beginning to eat, Natsu pausing to enjoy the taste and thank the blonde. She nodded at him, blushing slightly at his praise of her culinary skills before enjoying her own slice. They ate in comfortable silence for a bit before Natsu spoke up again.

"So, still wanna know me?" He stared at her, grinning as she nodded and got them each another slice of cake and began to brew up some coffee. He was thankful for that, it was probably going to be a long night.

"Well, I guess I'll start with my adoptive father. His name is Igneel."

* * *

Several more months had gone by, and with it was Natsu's graduation from the basic Vanguard training. His relationship with Amanda had improved in leaps and bounds since her birthday and he was happily able to call her his friend, though he couldn't deny that he felt a bit more for her. They would often share meals at night, and Natsu would make it a point to show up in the hangar and annoy her for a short while while lending a hand to the mechanics on hand. Her attitude had grown better and better since she had befriended the guardian. She was no longer volatile, and was more lenient on the guardians for making mistakes with their ships. She had grown to become depended on in the hangar, and was quickly rising through the ranks and hopeful to replace the current shipwright. Natsu was happy for her, and hopeful that he would begin his next steps in training soon. The faster he was able to finish his training, the faster he would be able to go out on his own and get home. He never let a day go by without remembering his goal.

He was standing in the Tower's common area, pinned in place by the cryptarch as he spoke in several other dead languages and asked Natsu to translate. He was just about to make an excuse to leave when a siren blared out across the Tower. Rahool was quick to back away from Natsu as nearly every guardian on duty rushed the common area, weapons drawn and waiting on alert. Natsu snapped in to action as well, calling out Specter and equipping his helmet before drawing his rifle. The Ghost had just finished teleporting itself in to Natsu's pack when several ships came roaring in, all stopping to hover over the Tower. Ikora and Zavala had just come running out from their Vanguard posts when the banners that lined the entrance caught fire and fell to the ground. They burned to ash in mere seconds as a ship finally descended to the balcony that overlooked the speaker, it's rear facing all of the alert guardians. The loading bay began to open up as several titans launched themselves out, each seeming to catch fire once they landed, several loud metallic clanks being heard as they did so. Natsu noticed that Zavala seemed paralyzed as a final man came out of the back of the ship, casually walking off of it and towards the Titan Master.

"Zavala, still as speechless as the day we left. Still living the life of a coward up here?" The man's voice was gruff through his golden helmet. His armour stood in a red and gold colour, a large titan mark depicting a hammer and flames adourned on his waist. He had seen that mark before, but everytime he brought it up to Zavala or Ikora, they mentioned it only belonged to a dead order. He was curious to see these men all bearing the mark. Zavala seemed to snap out of his daze, finally acknowledging the man.

"Arminius. I thought you were all dead. When we didn't hear a response from the Sol Order on Mars, we just assumed..."

"You assumed wrong. You did prove the points of the elders though. They spoke of how the Vanguard couldn't be trusted to lend us aid when it wouldn't benefit them. We stood, side by side for nearly a century, and when the order needed you most Zavala, where were you? Where were the reinforcements that we were told would always be there if we needed them? You left us to die at the hands of the Cabal on Mars. Don't expect us to be on anything more than unfriendly to neutral terms. We are only here for one reason." His tone was angry, his words striking Zavala as if he was physically lashed.

"And what reason is that, Arminius?"

"We want the titan that showed the sol element four months ago on your wall checkpoint. He needs to be properly trained to harnass his gift, something that you obviously can't do." The titan identified as Arminius spoke. Zavala seemed shocked, quickly glancing over to the equally shocked Ikora. They both quickly glanced over to Natsu, which didn't go unnoticed by Arminius.

"So, you're the titan that displayed that power at the wall?" He walked over to Natsu, who lowered his weapon to speak to the man.

"And if I am?" He spoke catiously.

"Well then I would congratulate you, my boy. You displayed a talent that most men at our temple study years to achieve. You will be tested however." Natsu didn't get a moment to question the man before a flaming hammer suddenly launched him across the common area. He impacted with Banshee's stall, losing his weapon and collapsing the table before rising to his feet. Flames shot out from his hands as he leapt at the titan that had thrown it. The man reared back, intent on throwing another hammer, before Natsu brought his flaming fist down on the man. The sound of bone crunching was echoed through his armour as the man's head snapped to the side. Natsu didn't flinch as he leapt towards the next titan, lashing a foot out and crushing in his helmet. He knew he wouldn't have to hold back.

These were guardians, and they could be revived.

He met the third and fourth titan, slinging one over his shoulder in to the other, before bringing his flaming fist down, disintigrating the first one and caving the chest plate on the second. He rose in time to dodge the hammer thrown by Arminius, leaping back and gaining his distance. He noticed the Ghosts for the titans he had killed hovering above the corpses, or where the corpse would be for the titan he turned to ash. Arminius threw his hammer again, impacting the ground around Natsu with it, causing a jet of flame to shoot up from the ground around him. He tore off his helmet and began to inhale, pulling the flames from the ground and in to himself. Arminius was stunned as he watched the man seem to eat his flames. He had come to run the Sol Order as the strongest of his group. Most guardians would be rendered to dust after mer seconds in his flames, but this man had eaten them. He cut the power to his flames and began to laugh, shocking everyone who had witnessed the battle. He walked over to the still on guard Natsu before placing his hands on his shoulders and walking him over to Zavala.

"I like this one, Zavala." He spoke in a happy tone. "And while I can't forgive you for what happened on Mars, I will consider us neutral if you let me take him and train him."

"Oi! I'm not some bargaining chip you son-"

"Deal."

Natsu looked in shock to Zavala. The man was staring at him with a cold look in his eyes. He took a breath before speaking.

"Sometimes, Natsu, one must make a decision that will benefit the entirety. We could use the power that the Sol Order has, and while this isn't guaranteeing an alliance, it is a step in the right direction. Natsu Dragneel, as of right now, you are posted to the Sol Order to train. This is an order from the Vanguard, so treat it with severity aand respect for the mission. You are dismissed." With that, Zavala turned and walked back down to the Vanguard post, a silent Ikora following. Natsu felt his chest burn in anger at how easily the man had just given him away. He felt a hand pat his shoulder as Arminius spoke.

"Take a good look at that, Natsu. That's the look of a man who with no loyalty to a bond. That's the look of a lapdog and a coward. Well, you've got your mission. Meet us in orbit above the city, and we'll take you to the temple to begin your training. Say your goodbyes and pack up." And with that, him and the revived titans returned to their ship and flew off.

* * *

Zavala felt his chest burn in shame. He had just sold someone who trusted him in order to gain favor with a group of people he thought dead. He hoped Natsu would come to understand why he did what he did. They were losing the war, and needed every helping hand they could get. Granted, the best they could hope for was neutrality with the Sol Order, but it was better than nothing. He hoped that Natsu would forgive him, but wouldn't be surprised if he didn't.

He had gotten used to people hating him at this point.

* * *

Natsu's hands felt numb from how hard he was clenching them. He knew he had his order and he had every intent to follow it, but it didn't mean he couldn't be pissed. He stormed in to the hangar bay, calling his ship to the lift and waiting for it to arrive. He felt a tap on his shoulder, turning to meet the curious gaze of his room mate.

"Everything ok?"

"No, well maybe. Shit, I don't know. Zavala just sold me to some titans, so I'm being assigned to their order on... well I'm not sure where it is either. I'm not too sure when I'll be back though..." He looked at her, watching her frown grow larger as she took in the information. She sighed before patting him on the chest as his ship came up. He was about to climb on an take off before she grabbed his hand and yanked him down to her level. He felt her place her lips against his cheek, before forcing him back up and pushing him up and into his ship. She chuckled when she saw him blushing and looking at her in confusion.

"Think of it as an early birthday present. In case you don't get back in time. If you do, well then maybe there'll be more for you. Won't know 'till you get back!" She laughed at his shocked expression before the hatch on his ship closed and he was automatically launched in to orbit. She was going to miss him, but at least he was going to return. Maybe it would give them a chance to explore a few more things about each other when he got back. With a smirk on her face, she picked up her favorite wrench and returned to work, optimistic about the future.

* * *

Got another chapter out. Finally getting to the parts that I've been wanting to get to for a while. Also, if you haven't already, check out my other story 'Fire Dragon's Sapphire'. It's a one shot that I typed up over the course of a few days, and the first lemon I've ever written. I may post some more one shots related to that story as chapters, but that'll only be when I got writer's block or need a slight break from writing this up. Leave a review and tell me what you think of this story though. I like the feedback and it helps me to pick a direction or work on any flaws that were pointed out.

Temper


	8. Chapter 8

Got another chapter out. Sorry it's late, but I've had a cold recently, and work also gets in the way sometimes. That's life I guess.

* * *

Light

Chapter 8

Natsu found himself in a daze as his ship punched out of orbit and began to head to the coordinates that Arminius had sent him. He found his fury slowly cooling as he thought to his last encounter with Amanda. She had kissed him, well kissed his cheek anyway. It was still a big deal to him because it answered a few of his question, but created so many more. Did this make them an item? What did that kind of thing entail? Would this mean he would have to act differently with her? His head began to ache as he thought of all of the complicated questions, but it all came silent as he heard Arminius come over his radio.

"Good to see you made it. I was getting worried that I'd have to go back down and put Zavala over my knee. Wouldn't make him look too good in front of his masters."

"Screw him. Why'd you want me anyway? The warlocks I could understand, but not titans." Natsu questioned as he came to the same ships that had invaded Tower. They took up formation as they began to travel in to space, the Moon slowly growing closer. His radio crackled to life again.

"You heard us at the Tower, boy. Don't pretend you didn't. Your little display at the Wall made the rounds through the grapevine and ended up at one of our suppliers. He kept asking why any of us would be down at the Wall. Once we sorted him out, we sent a scout to take in the area from your show. It's still glass, the ground I mean. Beautiful glass, made only from the hottest of flames. Bleached the paint on the wall, and I assumed the piles of metal on the ground were some of the 'Vanguard's finest' weapons. I'm impressed, most of us can't get our flames hot enough to melt steel like that. Make red hot and bend like rubber, sure, but not melt. Making sand to glass with just our Light is usually our 'Graduation Ceremony' of sorts, but you've already beaten that..." Arminius seemed amused, if his tone of voice was anything to go by. "Anyway, we'll come up with something new once we hone your Light and teach you proper discipline. You have power, kid, but it's untrained. It's potential to become even more deadly with proper training makes you one of the most sought after disciples in the last few decades. Apparently, the Sol Order was just the first to get ahold of you. Good for us though, would hate to lose such potential to a hunter or warlock. Tell me boy, do you like fighting?"

"Yeah. I do. Why?" Natsu stared at his radio, the light in his cabin casting the whole cockpit in a dull red glow. He noticed Specter was floating around, looking out whatever windows it could, chirping and whirring excitedly. The radio crackled back with laughter from several people before Arminius responded.

"It means you were born to be a titan, m'boy!" Arminius bellowed out in joy. "I'll explain all of the classes when we get to the temple. For now though, just enter these coordinates in to you ships nav system." Natsu looked to a panel to his left side, seeing several numbers begin to appear on his screen. He entered them in to his navigation computer and looked at the name of the planet he would be heading towards.

Mercury

Natsu had to admire the temple that Arminius had spoken of. It stood hundreds of feet tall, among sharp natural pillars that rose from the planet's surface. It was hidden in such a way that Natsu would have easily missed it, had he not been looking. There were huge spires, each seeming to be carved out of the pillars that surrounded them, with ports for windows and walkways carved between other spires. He continued to stare in wonder before snapping to the radio as Arminius spoke.

"This used to be an isolated branch of the Order. Members would come here to serve punishment, or seek the knowledge of the Elder Sol. It's funny, we're all revived in our prime, and near as I can tell we don't age, yet we have elders, and they're actually old! They must've had the Ghosts that had a sense of humor to revive them as old people. Don't tell it to their faces though, they can still give off one hell of an ass whipping to anyone smart mouthing them." Arminius's tone was friendly, though it seemed he spoke from experience if the other voices chuckling over the radio were anything to go by. Natsu felt eagerness surround his person as they approached the landing area. He was still angry at Zavala for selling him, but he couldn't hold his anger for too long as he realized what he was going to be doing. He was going to be training in a titan element based around fire! Zavala was the Titan Master and he didn't even know how to use his element. Natsu couldn't wait to finish his training and go back to Tower, and smack Zavala down with his flames. He had already nearly done it once, and that was without training.

He felt Specter equip his helmet to his head as his ship landed, but barely noticed it anymore. His training with the Vanguard had gotten him used to his weapons and armour, though he never liked how his helmet suffocated his senses. He idly wondered how Mercury smells, before realizing that to inhale the planet's air would likely kill him and grimacing. He stood from his seat as the canopy to his ship opened, before a comforting heat washed over him. He looked to the sky, gasping as he took in the sight of the sun. It seemed so close that he could touch it. He began to watch the surface as it undulated and shifted, huge arcs of fire coming from the surface, forming large arches, and plummeting back to the surface. He stood in awe as he automatically climbed down from his ship and stood next to it.

He decided that he liked this planet a lot.

It had a comfortable heat that reminded him of his father, he had to ignore the slight pain in his heart at thinking of him, and a brightness to the silvered sands that he found almost alluring. He would have to bring some back for Amanda to see. He felt like she would like it. He was snapped out of his thoughts by a fist rapping on the visor of his helmet. He drew back to see Arminius and several other titans staring at him. He rubbed the back of his head as Arminius began to walk away, motioning him to follow him. They walked to a giant set of stone doors, Natsu watching in wonder as Arminius created a hammer out of pure fire and placed it in a hole on the door. There was a loud metal clank before the doors began to open. Natsu was greeted to the sight of smooth stone walls, seemingly polished from the floor up to the curved ceiling. Tapestries hung from the ceiling, all coloured with brilliant oranges and reds. They all seemed to depict battles, and stories of the Sol Order. Natsu examined each one as he followed Arminius down a hallway, before stopping at the final tapestry that hung over a large stone doorway. It was simple, yet the most beautiful to Natsu. It was a hammer, weaved in gold fibers upon the cloth, surrounded by intricate patterns in orange and red. There were words under it, and Natsu stared at them intently as they began to shift before finally becoming readable to him.

'Family Before the House'

He posed the question of it's meaning to Arminius, who could only stare at him in shock before slpping him on the back.

"I'll explain later kid, but you gotta do some explaining first."

"What about?"

"You're going to have to tell me and the elders how exactly you know Latin. That language has been dead for centuries, yet you took one look at it and instantly knew it. I didn't even know what it said, only a couple of the elders did. Makes sense when you think about it, it's what they would spout at us before each big offensive. Said it at the battle of Six Fronts, made sure that each of us committed it to memory. That was back in the day of Osiris and Saint-14 though. A time long gone by most standards. Anyway boy-"

"Natsu. My name is Natsu Dragneel."

"Ok. Anyway Natsu," Arminius paused, but Natsu could hear the amusement in his voice. "Through this door is the last of the Elder Sol. They are among the wisest warriors to ever have been revived by the Traveler. Mind your tongue, or they'll take it. Keep your thoughts honest, or they'll burn your mind. Meet their gaze with confidence, or they'll burn the eyes from your skull. Their bodies may be weak, but their fire is the strongest on this planet. Remember that." Arminius's tone was dead serious, and Natsu could only gulp as the large stone doors opened, and Natsu was pushed inside. He turned to see the doors closing, Arminius still outside of them.

He raised his hand and channeled his light to it, enjoying when a flame sparked out and illuminated the room for a few moments before flickering out. He tried it again and again, only to have the same thing happen. He heard a raspy chuckle in the darkness of the room.

"Are you afraid of the dark, boy?"

Natsu spun his head around, trying to pinpoint the voice, but couldn't. His helmet wasn't showing anything to him, and Specter was remaining oddly silent.

"Who are you?"

"Are you addressing me, boy?" The voice responded, before a second one spoke.

"Or me?" A third voice rang out after that.

"Or perhaps he means me?"

Natsu shook his head in irritation, the darkness serving to annoy him further. "Who are ALL of you?"

"We are the Elder Sol."

"But what are your names?"

"As stated earlier. We are the Elder Sol. That is what you will call us. When you speak to one of us, you speak to all of us. We are one, though you would see many. We are the developers of the Sol class, and the founders of the Order. We created the Hammer of Sol, and taught of it's purpose." They all spoke at once.

"And what was the Hammer's purpose?"

"Family Before the House." They all spoke again. Natsu shook his head.

"Yes, I saw that on the banner you have outside, and Arminius said something about Latin. What does that mean though?"

"Oh, he knows Latin!" One of the voices spoke excitedly. They all began to murmur to each other, though Natsu couldn't seem to hear it. "You're going to have to tell us how you know that language, Natsu."

"How do you know my name?" He spoke in confusion. A chuckle erupted from all around him.

"You told Arminius, but the door was open, so we heard it as well."

"Oh..." Natsu felt like an idiot. These people were starting to freak him out a bit, with the whole 'speaking as one' thing mostly. He idly wondered if they practiced it before a raspy cough caught his attention.

"As to what our saying means, Natsu, it is simple. Do you love your family?"

"Yes!" His voice was filled with passion.

"And do you do your duty to your house?"

"You mean my guild or the Vanguard?"

"Either or both. Do you do your duties for them, and preform them well?"

"To the best of my ability, yes." He was confused on where this was going.

"Well if your guild demanded that you let a member of your family die, even if saving them would put you at risk for death as well, would you?"

"Why wouldn't I fight to save my family? What good is my guild if everyone I love had to die to keep it standing?" Natsu was finally starting to figure it out, if the elders laughing was anything to go by.

"Very good, Natsu. We think you'll do well here. You are learning what our motto means. What good is a house if there is nobody to live in it? We see these places and organizations as materials. They can be rebuilt and remade in to what the people who support it want it to be, but it's truly dead if the people who support it are gone. We support those who put their family first. We put ourselves at risk to save our comrades, and damn anyone who doesn't try to save a friend's life when they need help. That is how we differ from the Vanguard, and the main reason that we do not associate with them."

"What happened?" Natsu asked as he felt around blindly in the darkness, his hands hitting a chair in front of him. He took a seat, and patiently waited for the elders to continue.

"We used to have our order on Mars." One voice spoke. "It suited us, and there were several outposts that we used to train new members and take jobs from the Vanguard. Osiris negotiated our order to work with him and the Vanguard. We had helped them when they needed us at the Battle of Six Fronts. We stood by them and Osiris, as well as the Exo known as Saint-14. Six orders of titans stood together, defending the wall from the massive Fallen army that sought our deaths. The fight was not ours, but we came to the Vanguard as comrades. We all stood together, and all six fronts of the war stood strong. We suffered heavily, our order alone losing nearly half of our numbers, but we held strong. Not a single front fell, and we were held in the highest honor with the Vanguard." The voice finished proudly.

"So what happened to change everything?" Natsu's voice was quieted by the sudden rise in temperature.

"Our order on Mars was attacked when the Cabal invaded. We had been dealing with them easily at first, there were a few here and there, but never a substantial force. It all changed when their main force launched the invasion. We quickly found ourselves outmatched against their sheer numbers, and posted a request to the Vanguard to help. They refused. Arminius, who was stationed at the Tower to work with Zavala and the others, begged for help. He pleaded with Zavala to come with him to defend his people, stating that they had helped the Vanguard when they didn't have to. Zavala mustered a force of nearly 400 guardians to begin the offensive, but the Vanguard threatened him with expulsion. Arminius came back alone after that. He still curses Zavala for spitting on the order. He put the house before his comrades, and lost one of the strongest orders to ever grace that Tower. Arminius helped the last of us evacuate, and we fled here, with the few others of the order stationed here. We've been here since, and not one of our guardians has been in contact with the Tower since." Another voice spoke gravely. Natsu looked to the ground in sadness. Had his friends needed his help, he would have been one of the first on scene. He couldn't imagine leaving all of his friends to die, just because of some stupid threat made by those in charge.

"So Natsu, will you join us? Will you take our motto to heart and fight for your family, instead of the house to which you belong?"

"I've already lived my entire life by these morals, so I see no problem in accepting this. I hope to live up to any expectations you have."

"Very good then." The lights in the room all came on, torches all lighting up along the walls to reveal a massive chamber. Seven elderly men sat in thrones behind a large curved table, raised high off of the ground and made of stone. The same hammer emblem was carved in to the front of the table. Bookshelves lined the walls, each stocked full and reaching up to the ceiling. Natsu couldn't make out their faces, their large black robes covering them. Natsu stood as the doors opened and Arminius walked in.

"Good job Natsu, looks like you're in. Great news too!"

"What's that?"

"You're gonna be my disciple! Isn't that great?" Arminius slapped him roughly on the back, knocking Natsu to the ground. The pink haired guardian could only look up at him.

"Yeah... great..."

* * *

"Again!"

Natsu could only groan as he sat on the sand dunes of Mercury and repeated the exercise that Arminius had been having him do. Scooping up a handful of the sand, Natsu began to channel his Light to his hand, causing immense heat to be generated as the sand in his hand turned in to molten glass and began to gently pour from his hand. Natsu felt himself sweating at the concentration required. He grinned to himself as he controlled the heat to create the liquid glass, before his concentration slipped and in all came pouring from between his closed fingers. He cursed as he opened his palm and flung the glass to the sand, the liquid landing next to a pile of glass fragments before slowly hardening. He scowled as the voice of his mentor piped in.

"Again!"

Natsu looked over the standing titan, his arms crossed as he stared blankly. The sun reflected off of his visor, making Natsu have to squint his eyes when he gazed upon his mentor. He grunted before flinging some sand at the titan, watching in disappointment as it harmlessly hit him. He jumped to his feet, pointing to the pile of glass that was all of his previous failures.

"If you say it's easy, then why the fuck am I doing it?! We've seen that I can easily make glass, and even melt steel! Why the fuck am I having to do this?!"

Arminius sighed before crouching down and grabbing a handful of sand. He held it above his open palm as molten glass began to pour from it. He drizzled it in to his palm, gently moving his hand back and forth, slowly stacking the glass on to itself. Natsu watched in awe as Arminius began to speak to him while creating the statue in his palm.

"It's not about the power in your flames, Natsu. It's about controlling that power. You need to know how to hold yourself back, and use the right amount of power for any situation. If you go all out in everything you do, you'll either kill yourself, or give an enemy with any form of intelligence an accurate picture of what you can do. Titans are seen as attack dogs, dumb and only good for using physical violence to solve their problems. For some, this is true. For us, however, we understand the need for a level head. Our power is immense, and purely destructive, as is the case with all fire. It is meant to destroy, and our power can not stop that, but with enough training and focus, you can control it." He finished speaking as he held the perfect glass snowflake in his hand, easily the size of his palm, out to Natsu. Natsu took it from him, noticing the small amount of sand perfectly encased in a small orb in the center. He stared at Arminius for a moment before holding his hand out, the snowflake fading in to particles of light as Specter stored it away for him.

"Tell me how I can improve then..." Arminius clapped him on the shoulder, each picking up a handful of sand and repeating the melting process, this time with Arminius giving Natsu careful instruction.

* * *

It had been three months since Natsu had arrived to the order and he had come to improve himself greatly. Under the tutelage of Arminius and the elders, he had flourished his powers greatly, putting control to his abilities and making them even more dangerous. He stood in the chamber with the elders, Arminius standing next to him as they spoke.

"You have done well, Natsu Dragneel. You have mastered our training, and disciplined your fire to burn hotter and longer than any to have come before you. You have one final test before we can allow you to call yourself a Sunbreaker." The elder spoke to him. Natsu raised his head, meeting the cloaked gaze of the elder before nodding.

"Merely point me in the direction and who I must meet, and I will carry out this final test." He spoke in a low tone, he had learned that speaking to them with respect usually kept Arminius from training him in to near death. The elders all chuckled before one of them spoke again.

"You will meet with another Sunbreaker, Ouros, and she will guide you to becoming a true Sunbreaker of the Sol Order. Go now, your journey will be long, and you will be tested, but when you come back, you will be heat treated and stronger than the weak Vanguard steel could ever hope to dream of." With those words, Natsu and Arminius left their chamber and walked outside. Arminius turned and faced the Sunbreaker hopeful.

"You have come a long way, and I am proud to be called your mentor. I know you are not from here, and can only hope that you will pass on our morals when you return to your true home. You are the first, and last, disciple I have ever had. Go now, and be safe on your travels." Arminius brought him in and hugged him fiercely. Natsu returned it, before pulling away.

"But won't I see you again? I will return after I have finished my trial, surely we could sit down and have a drink or something." Arminius shook his head before gesturing to his ship, which had several other titans standing around it.

"I have been assigned to scouting around on the other side of the planet. There were reports of Osiris having built some sort of temple on Mercury, and me and those titans over there were tasked with finding him. Maybe we can work something out with his followers, and we can begin to reclaim our outposts on Mars. This is the last we will see of each other, but I may be able to get a message out to you every now and then." He turned Natsu and pushed him towards his own ship. "Go on. Ouros doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Natsu nodded before bowing at Arminius, causing the man to let out a sheepish chuckle. "Thank you for teaching me, Arminius. It has been an honor that I hope to never forget." He turned around and began to jog in the direction that he had been pointed towards. From all of his scouting reports, he figured he was just over a day away from the forge. With that knowledge in mind, he walked away, ignoring the slight pain in his chest as the heat from Arminius's ship washed over him. Sure his friend was leaving, but he wasn't dead, so this wasn't technically goodbye. It was more of a 'See you next time.' He told himself that until he believed it.

He never did.

* * *

Natsu arrived outside of the forge, only to stare at it in confusion. It looked positively ancient, and it was stuffed with dormant Vex. He looked to the seemingly sleeping enemies and felt his chest burn in rage. These were his kidnappers. He was about to strike one of them down when a females voice boomed across the ruins.

"So you are the one that Arminius has trained... Interesting... Well then, Natsu, step up to the forge and harness your power. Become a Sunbreaker!"

Natsu waved Specter in, the Ghost quickly finding the areas it needed to adjust and making the correct calculations. Natsu watched a beam of light shoot from one of the pillars to another, before firing down to the large raised platform in front of him. The pattern of the Sunbreaker that Natsu had seen all over the temple revealed itself on the platform, carving through the stone with bright flames. Natsu stepped forward to the center, a large hole spewing flames situated in the middle of the platform. He reached his hand in, the voice of Ouros bellowing all around him.

"Good! Now imagine the hammer that you will be using! This will be your tool, forged by you and molded by your power. Use your purest form of Light, and pull your hammer from the flames!"

Natsu roared as he pulled the hammer from the flames, noticing immediately how it was different from the standard Sunbreaker's eagle. A large dragon's head held the blunt end, vaguely resembling Igneel, and the rear of the hammer was a long and sharp talon. The handle held a scaled texture to it, running all the way up to the head. He held the hammer in his hands, feeling it hum with his Light, and his chest burned in pride.

"Good! Now... Handle all of this trash in my temple! Let your fury guide you, but don't ever forget your training." Ouros's voice bellowed across the temple as Natsu faced the Vex that were becoming active. He reared his arm back before throwing the hammer with all of his might. He watched it impact the first group of Vex, feeling satisfaction as all six of them were disintegrated in to small bits of fire and metal. He watched the fire burn the metal to the point of melting, and even hotter as the metal turned to ash and fluttered away. He felt the hammer reappear in his hand before rearing back and throwing it again.

This continued on for nearly an hour before the Vex finally stopped appearing. Natsu felt himself shift out of his ability, his power lowering as the hammer disappeared and the flames around him faded out. He looked upon the destruction that his ability had wrought. There were craters lined with cooling glass all over, the only signs of the Vex being a few scorched limbs.

He sighed in satisfaction.

He heard a low chirping sound, and couldn't stop his gaze from finding that of a fallen Vex Goblin. It's red eye pulsed as it narrowed on him, it's arms dragging itself towards him slowly, still intent on fighting. He called out for Specter.

"Yes, Natsu?" The Ghost questioned him while maintaining it's gaze on the Vex.

"What are the atmospheric conditions in this room?"

"They aren't preferable, but they are stable enough for you to breathe normally for several minutes..." Specter sounded unsure of why Natsu would ask such a question. It was made apparent as he snapped off his helmet and tossed it in to the sand, walking up to the downed Vex as he did.

"I only need one..."

Natsu grabbed the Goblin by it's head, forcing it's gaze to meet his own. He heard the machine begin to chirp in alarm before Natsu smashed it upside the head, the machine falling silent as Natsu spoke.

"You listen well, you piece of shit. I'm still alive, and I'm getting stronger. I'm coming for you, and when I'm done kicking your ass, you WILL send me home, or I will make sure to wipe every trace of you from this universe. Be ready, because it's only a matter of time now..." With that, he brought his fist forward, smashing in the creatures eye. It shrieked in alarm as flames began to emerge from within it's head, before it fell silent as it slowly liquified, then turned to ash. Natsu turned to Specter, who equipped the helmet back on to his head. He had just exited the temple, when the woman known as Ouros spoke one final time.

"You are done here, Natsu. It is time for you to leave this planet. Let the Vanguard know that we will train one other, but only when the time is right. We have just received unsettling news from the Temple of Osiris, and though we hate the Vanguard, even we are not heartless enough to let what is coming consume them. Your ship is en-route to our location. Take it and leave for Earth, and take pride in the fact that you are the only Sunbreaker on Earth in over 100 years." The voice echoed loudly, before fading in to the ruins, the only sound now being the wind as it tore through the ancient stone pillars. Natsu walked out to his ship, watching it land before the canopy opened. He climbed inside, slowly easing himself in to the seat that he hadn't occupied in over three months. He sighed as the console flashed to life, Specter floating over and resting on top of his console.

"Where to now, Natsu?"

"Earth, Specter. Set a course for the Vanguard's Tower 6. I have news for them..."

The ship lifted several feet off the ground before shooting off towards the stars, it's destination being Natsu's assigned Tower.

It was time he returned.

* * *

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I won't give too much away, but I will say that we are about five chapters away from Natsu returning to Earthland. Let me know how I did on this chapter, and where I can improve, or PM me any ideas you have for a oneshot or any additions you think would fit in this story. I like to hear what you all think about the story, and it helps me know where I need to improve.

Temper


	9. Chapter 9

Light

Chapter 8

Natsu sat in the cabin of his ship, waiting the few minutes it took in sub space travel that it took to get from Mercury to Earth. He took in the silence with peace as he watched the bright blue light of sub space travel illuminate everything in his cabin. He hoped his arrival back at the Vanguard would end quickly, the energy he had taken earlier from his trials finally dying down. He was tired, and wanted nothing more than to shower and sleep for several weeks. He thought of what all he would have to do in the Tower before that came about though, and the headache began to form behind his eyes at the awkward conversation he was doomed to have.

He didn't want to face Zavala.

He wasn't as angry at him as he had been previously, time and thought led him to a level of understanding, but he was still angered. He had listened to Zavala preach about the importance of the Vanguard and how every guardian in it was important, and then he turned around and treated him like some kind of bargaining chip. It infuriated him to think about it. That wasn't how comrades treated eachother. He had thought that all of the time he had spent with the Tian Master would have granted him some form of friendship, but it seems he was mistaken. He leaned back in his seat, sighing as he forced the thoughts from his mind lest his headache worsen. He felt as if he was about to nod off, but his ship suddenly lurching and several alarms blaring pulled him from the realm of bliss. He sat up quickly, typing several commands in to his console and forcing his ship out of sub space to see what the cause of distress was. His ship jumped out and Natsu noticed where he was approaching.

The Moon.

He looked to his console, seeing a broad message from the Vanguard. He typed in the answer command, and watched the message display itself on his console's screen.

'To any nearby members of the Vanguard! This is %*#$^!,' Natsu could only guess that there was some corruption to the message. 'And I am requesting emergency aid on the Moon, near the Cauldron. Coordinates are listed below!'

Natsu looked to the time stamp on the message, noting it was several hours old. He grunted as he punched in the new coordinates and began to steer his ship towards the new destination, figuring the Vanguard could wait a few more hours to recieve his report. 'Not like they knew I was coming anyway.' He thought to himself. He hadn't bothered to send advanced notice of his arrival, and could almost guarantee that the Sol Order had said nothing as well. He sighed as he began to approach the location of the distress call and slowed his ship. He held his breath as his ship quickly felw over the spot where the signal came from. Light began to encompass his vision, before everything became a blur. When his sense returned to him a second later as his feet landed on the surface of the Moon. He released his breath and drew his weapong before cautiously going towards the entrance to the cave system that held the Cauldron. He slowly walked down several narrow tunnels before the cave began to open, gray rock giving way to dense black mineral walls, seemingly all rounded with jagged adges sticking out at random points. He took notice of the large structure that was made of the strange material associated with the Hive. He looked at the towering cathedral of the Hive, noticing that as he stared up he could see starlight through the jagged opening in the ceiling of the cave. He began to approach the entrance of the building, only to suddenly jump away as a loud bang roared in to his senses and a large spike buried itself in to his shoulder. He landed behind an outcropping of rocks as several more shots rang out. He peeked over the outcropping, noticing a warlock standing, arm outstretched, with a jagged handcannon in his hand still smoking. He lie with his back against the stone as he heard a man's voice call out.

"You still alive, guardian?"

Natsu pondered for a moment on this person. He was just answering a distress call, and he'd been shot by the man he assumed had sent the blasted message. Leaning up a little, he brought his weapon to his chest and answered back.

"Depends."

"On?" The man's voice sounded amused.

"On if you're going to be a dick and shoot me again! This'll teach me to answer a distress call. I should've just left you here!"

Natsu heard a loud chuckle before the man spoke again.

"Alright alright! I'm standing down. Surprised you lived through that though, most enemies die after even getting grazed by the Thorn. So, you answered the call, huh?"

Natsu peeked over the corner, noticing that the man was standing with his arms crossed, his hand cannon nowhere in sight. Natsu stood up and slowly walked towards the man, stopping several feet away from him. The man walked forward the last few feet before grabbing the spike still sticking out of Natsu's shoulder, and yanked it out. Natsu began to curse loudly as he paced around before the wound began to sizzle, smoke coming up from it as he cauterized it. The man stared at Natsu as he stopped pacing and placed his hands on his knees and took several deep breaths. His head snapped up as he stared at the warlock.

"Hey how about a little warning before you do something like that, dick!"

The man began to chuckle as he held a hand out to Natsu.

"My apologies. It's been some time since I was around people, and even longer since it was on friendly terms."

Natsu stared at the hand for a moment before reaching his own hand out and grasping the man's, only to feel his eyes nearly roll in to the back of his head in pain as he felt the Darkness that the man seemed to be made of. He quickly tore his hand from the man's grasp and jumped back from him. He stood on guard as he began to circle around the warlock with his rifle drawn on the man's head, noticing that he raised both of his hands up and didn't even bother to face Natsu.

"Who are you? On another note, why the fuck are you so permeated with Darkness?" Natsu could only growl as the man laughed and faced him, lowering his arms in the process.

"I could ask you the same thing," His tone was amused, but Natsu felt something sinister behind it, like this man would snap at any second. "I felt quite a lot of Darkness in you as well, guardian. Not something I've ever seen in another guardian, the whole 'Wielder of Light' thing makes it almost impossible. So let's just calm down and talk like adults, why don't we?"

"Fine, but you still never answered my first question," Natsu answered as he lowered his weapon slightly. "What's your name?"

The man pondered for a moment before answering. "There was a name that I once went by, but I lost it in my rebirth. You know how it goes, being a guardian and all. I now go by Dredgen Yor, now who might you be?" The man met Natsu's gaze though Natsu couldn't see anything passed the man's darkly tinted visor on his helmet.

"My name is Natsu Dragneel, and I can't even tell you where I should begin to explain my relation to the Darkness. Why did you send the distress signal anyway? Everything seems fine here." Natsu had just now taken the time to look around, noticing that there was no present threat, aside from the man himself, that seemed to be anywhere nearby. Dredgen stared at him for several moments before answering.

"Ah yes. The signal... I... posted that because I require aid in scouting out a Hive temple nearby, and feel it urgent to the fight against the Hive to document it..." His answer seemed strange, but Natsu had to remember that this man had been isolated for quite some time and probably didn't have the best social etiquette. He nodded and motioned Dredgen to lead the way, which the warlock did, turning and walking deeper in to the complex structure. Natsu fell in line next to him.

Natsu never noticed the dead hunter against the far wall, several large spikes like what Natsu was hit with sticking out of his chest, nor did he notice the destroyed Ghost lying in the hunter's lap.

"So why are you so thick with Darkness that it hurt to touch you?" He winced at how blunt it sounded, but couldn't think of a better way to word it. Dredgen laughed, much to Natsu's relief, and answered his question.

"I have been out here for many years, studying the Hive for any ways to defeat the Darkness, and this is just a side effect of it. They aren't affected by Darkness, you see, and that leads me to believe that they also have a way to combat it. They show strange religious ceremonies, and pray to their god or king. I'm not sure who it is, as no clear name comes through. I can only translate small words. What of you?"

"Ah," Natsu began as they walked deeper in to the cave. "Well it all began with a fight..."

* * *

Several hours had passed, or at least that's what Natsu felt. The caves had no source of light, or several Hive lamps generated a weak yellow glow to illuminate areas. Dredgen assured him that he knew where they were going, but Natsu had seen him stop several times and mutter to himself, so his faith in the warlock was shaky at best. After having told the man of what had happened to him, Dredgen had spoken of how warlock training could help to fully delve in to his mind, and unlock his true mental potential. He said he would give Natsu some tips, and help to train him while they were down there. He assured Natsu that they wouldn't be too long, much to Natsu's relief. He wanted to go back to Tower, though the prospect of speaking to Zavala made him eager to follow Dredgen deeper in to the caves. He couldn't bring himself to hate the man, he understood why he did what he did, but it didn't mean he couldn't feel anger at the man.

Several mor hours passed before Dredgen suddnely lowered himself to a crawl, causing Natsu to drop down next to him and do the same. They both crawled on their hands and knees for several minutes, before Dredgen suddenly forced Natsu to lie down, quickly joing him as he peeked over a ledge. Natsu looked over as well, taking in the sight of several Acolytes kneeling around a spire made of the same black material that everything else from the Hive was made of. It pulsed with the green energy.

'Almost like a heartbeat' Natsu noted idly.

As they watched for several minutes, they both noticed a large door open up and a Wizard come floating in to the chamber. Natsu watched the decrepit figure as it floated around the kneeling Acolytes. He watched it begin to bellow out several prayers to a god king. Natsu felt a haze overtake him as the wizard continued to chant. He felt as if his head was surrounded by fog and the echoes rang through his entire body. He didn't feel himself stand, nor did he feel himself release his power. He didn't feel the power that came from the spire and connected to him. He didn't feel his now direct link to the Darkness.

Dredgen could only watch on in fascination at this guardian who could establish a direct connection with the spire. Natsu's power had incinerated the kneeling Acolytes and Wizard several minutes ago, and now Dredgen could only stand next to Natsu as he raised his hands up in to the air and bellowed out a single word.

"Oryx!"

With that word spoken, Natsu collapsed and began to convulse on the ground. Dredgen quickly picked up the guardian and retreated to the Cauldron, he would need the man isolated for what he had planned. He felt elation as he ran through the caverns, Natsu slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, this man had spoken to the Darkness and recieved a response. Dredgen had been trying for years to do that, even going as far as to taint himself and his weapon and consume the Light of other guardians, but every attempt at connecting to the spire resulted in silence. He felt as if his years of frustrations were coming to an end with this man, and Dredgen was practically vibrating with excitement at the prospect. He would take this man and he would teach him how to embrace his darkness. He would teach the man to bathe in the corruption and evil that the Darkness held, and the undeniable power that came with it. Dredgen realized an issue though.

Natsu believed him to be an innocent guardian, and Dredgen had to make him keep that belief.

He had felt how pure the Light was in Natsu when they had shaken hands, and Dredgen had little to no doubt about how Natsu would react to him if he found out just how corrupted he truly was. He couldn't have that, he absolutely needed Natsu, for he held possible answers that Dredgen had, and even more answers to questions he hadn't even thought to ask. The potential was so infinite, and Dredgen had to explore as many of those possibilities as he could.

* * *

Natsu awoke with a groan, his head pounding and his throat dry. He sat up, noticing his helmet was off, and took stock of the room that he was in. It was very plain, with a cot and blanket that he was occupying, and an empty desk and chair next to that. He stood and noticed a glass of water on a tray just by the door. He quickly ran over and downed it, the dryness of his throat disappearing. Specter appeared in a shimmer of light, and with it was one of Natsu's stocked rations. Natsu quickly snatched it and tore it open. He began to munch at the dry bar, noticing it tasted like apples and cinammon. His heart clenched as he thought of Amanda. He had hoped that she was alright, and still thought of him. He idly wondered if she would make him a cake for his birthday. He was brought out of his musings as Specter made itself known.

"It is good to see you awake Natsu. I can not tell you how long we've been down in the Cauldron, something is interfering with my systems. There must be something to these hive structures that affects my data." The Ghost was floating around as Natsu tried to remember what had happened. He remembered watching the ritual with Dredgen, but then his head tingled and everything went blank. He exited the room, his helmet appearing back on his head as he walked through the living space towards the exit. It was a simple room, a bed on one side where he assumed Dredgen slept, and a desk covered in papers in the other. He noticed a crate of supplies and figured that was his food and water supplies from the Vanguard. He looked around the room for the man, noticing hius immediate absence. Noting that he was alone, he walked over to the desk and began to leaf through some of the papers on the desk. He noticed that there were many runes in the Hive language on many of the pages, with possible translations next to them. He chuckled as the runes clarified themselves before his eyes, and that Dredgen's translations were nowhere close. He heard the door behind him open, and heavy footsteps echoed all the way over to where Natsu was. Natsu looked up, coming face to face with Dredgen Yor, who looked at him and then down to the papers.

"Looking at my translations? I'm sorry to say that they won't be of much use. I think I'm close, but I can't crack the code."

"Well I don't need translations."

"Why not? They help us decipher enemy codes, and give us a leg up." Dredgen sounded genuinly confused. Natsu laughed as he remembered the cryptarch, and how crazy he was to find out about Natsu's stolen knowledge.

"It's because I can read these clearly. Look," He grabbed a sheet of paper and Dredgen leant in close. "This word here, is Oryx. He is their god or king. He's both I think. All I know is that he's what they're praying to, or rather communicating to. Those rituals aren't them praying, but them opening a link of some kind..." Natsu trailed off as Dredgen quickly wrote the word 'Oryx' next to the symbol and circled it. He looked eagerly to Natsu.

"Show me more!"

Natsu felt a little unsure of himself suddenly. His previous unease about Dredgen came back to the surface as the Warlock began holding out other papers to him. Natsu shook his head and pushed the papers out of his face.

"I don't know Dredgen. I still need to give my report to the Vanguard, not to mention that I was just coming to answer your distress beacon. It's all done now, and I want to go back to Tower..."

Dredgen felt the panic in his chest at Natsu's words. He couldn't let him go. His mind snapped in to focus as he remembered Natsu's story and how he came to be in their universe.

"I can help you get home. Your real home, I mean!" He didn't have a chance to speak again before he felt himself lifted off of the ground. Natsu pinned him against the wall, the temperature in the room rising substantially.

"Speak."

"Your home. I can help you get there. When you came here, you said you took something from the Dark Mind, right? You took knowledge from it, and you could have the knowledge to get home in that head of yours, but you can't get to it. With my help, I can help you navigate your mind, and steal it from the Darkness inside of you. All you have to do in return, is translate these runes for me. I can decode and decypher everything after that, but I need these to get started. Will you help me?"

Natsu noted the desperation in his tone, but had to admit that there could have been some truth in those words. He had stolen from the Dark Mind, and he had already come to understand that that was the reason that he could understand all of these dead languages. He figured he had stolen a pretty decent chunk of knowledge from the being, if it was angered enough to keep him alive and torture him, and Dredgen was already bathed in the Darkness, so Natsu knew he would at least be able to help him understand himself better. He looked to the warlock and lowered him to the ground.

"Ok."

* * *

Natsu sat on the ground with his knees crossed in a medatative pose. He focused on his breathing as Dredgen slowly paced around him, his boots echoing softly in the room. Dredgen had made Natsu remove all of the furniture from the room beforehand, stating that the confrontation of one's Darkness could be in his own words 'messy'. Natsu felt the echoes of Dredgen's boots fade away as he focused on his breathing. He felt his mind begin to clear as the sound of breathing begin to fall away as well, leaving the constant thumping of his heartbeat. He listened to it for what felt like hours, just basking in the silent and rhythmic beating, before he heard a voice that he didn't recognize.

"Well, it seems my mask has finally deemed himself worthy of seeing me..."

He spun around in the darkness, realizing that he wasn't in the room anymore. He looked around, only noting an empty void of thick darkness all around him. He tried to look for the source of the voice through the darkness.

"Who's there? Come out!" Natsu felt a shiver pass through him as laughter rang out around him, the voice deep and raspy.

"And who are you to make demands? Last time I checked, the puppet wasn't allowed to make demands of it's master."

Natsu felt his blood boil at the voice's insult and decided to call it on it's bluff. "Then come out, and let's settle this. I don't know who you are, but I'll kick your ass all the same!" The voice rang out with chilling laughter again and Natsu felt a presence behind him. He turned around to deliver a swift punch to the presence, only to stop mid-swing in shock at what he saw.

It was him.

Well, it was him but with some very key changes. Two large horns emerged from his temples, facing upwards. His skin was covered in scales, resembling the dragon that had raised Natsu. Black tattoos ran up from his fists to cover his shoulders. The word 'END' was the tattoo that sat in the center of his chest, bold and proud. The last thing that Natsu noticed was the eyes. Solid black, with glowing red irises stared back at him, malice and hatred dripping from them as the figure reared it's arm back and struck Natsu, sending him flying back several meters. Natsu was quick to recover, and began to slowly pace around the demonic clone of himself, the copy mimicking his actions with a cruel smirk.

"What's the matter, puppet? You see something you don't like?" The demon taunted at him.

"Who are you?" The question was simple, but Natsu felt the answer would be complex. His suspicions were confirmed when the demon spoke simply.

"You. Or rather, you're me."

"What do you mean? Are you a part of the Dark Mind?!" The demon lost it's smirk at that question.

"No. I'm evil, undeniably so, but that... thing... is a league all of it's own. Even Zeref wouldn't stand a chance against that thing..." The demon was quiet at the last part, it's eyes lowered to the ground. Even if Natsu couldn't see it clearly, he could easily identify the emotion in those eyes.

Fear.

It seemed that this thing wasn't the stolen Darkness, but something in him since before then. The only question that Natsu could think of was when though. He decided to voice his concern to the unfocused demon.

"If you aren't from the Dark Mind, then where are you from?" That seemed to get the demon to focus on him again, though the smirk didn't return.

"I'm a darkness that existed long before you. I was you before you were even considered to be you. I, we, were created with a single purpose, and that's to kill Zeref. I am END, and you are me..."

Natsu felt his head spin at the declaration as memories flooded his mind. He saw Zeref, his brother, as he traveled with the dark mage. He felt the memories from his travels with Zeref flood his brain, all the way up to meeting Igneel and leaving Zeref behind. The memories after that were all familiar. Natsu shook his head as he looked at the demon, noting his relaxed posture. He decided to speak up.

"So, we were made to kill our brother?"

"Well, I was made to kill Zeref. You're just a mask that was put over me when Zeref grew sentimental for us. He sent us with Igneel to train, but also because he felt that Igneel was a better role model for a young and impressionable mind. I don't know why he wiped yours or our," He seemed annoyed at having to correct himself. "Memories, but all I know is that when that Dark Mind thing took us, I got them all back. You saw them briefly, but I think it all drowned in the overflow."

"Ok," Natsu nodded while looking at the demon. "What now then? Do we fight for dominance over my body or something? Isn't this how this normally goes?" The demon shook it's head before looking in to Natsu's surprised eyes.

"There's no point. While your magic grew stronger with the Light, my power hasn't increased at all. I use a form of Darkness known as curses. I can't access the power of magic or Light at all. I can take from the Darkness, thoug there isn't enough in you to do much for that battle of dominance. I can't kill you and you can't kill me, or we both die. You'd be right about the battle of dominance, but I just don't feel like getting my ass stomped on today, so I'm just going to be a tour guide of sorts for you. I'll take you where you need to go."

Natsu grinned at his demon, glad that he wouldn't have to battle. His grin turned in to confusion as the demon smiled back at him.

"I've been in your head since before you could remember your name. Never forget that just because I can't fight you now that I won't be trying at every chance I get. If you slip up, and I sense your weakness, expect a visit from me. After today though, the Darkness in you will be stronger than ever, and so will I. I'll tear you out of control and make you watch as I kill until my thirst is quenched, then I may just decide to stay in control forever. Who knows how long I'll stay in control after I've tasted some chaos. Maybe I'll get stronger, or maybe I'll just go to sleep. Either way, be ready, because I don't need rest in here and I watch everything." And with those dark words, the demon turned and began to venture out in to the darkness with Natsu trailing behind.

The two of them walked for hours before Natsu began to feel as if something was slithering all over him. His demon stopped in front of him before waving him forward. Natsu stepped up next to his demon, staring in to the void as a small light seemed to appear in the far distance. The demon spoke.

"This is as far as I can go. If I go any further, I risk that thing consuming me, and we both know what happens if I die..."

Natsu nodded before turning to his demon.

"Thank you. I know what you want, but I can't do much for you once we get back to Earthland, but I've got no love for anything here but the Vanguard. Maybe we can find a good abandoned place full of Hive or Fallen, and I can just let you loose for a while?"

The demon stared at him for a moment before grinning at Natsu in feral delight.

"That sounds like it might be a good plan, partner."

Natsu watched the demon fade back in to the void around him before turning back towards the light on the horizon. He began to jog towards it, eager and nervous at the same time.

It was time to confront true Darkness.

* * *

This chapter is a little bit on the short side, but I've been kinda busy with life stuff, and I'm also drawing up the board for a couple new stories. As always though, leave a review or PM me with any questions or ideas you may have. I love hearing ideas and recommendations.

Overworked and sleep deprived,

Temper


	10. Chapter 10

I'm back with the longest chapter I've ever written for this story.

* * *

Light

Chapter 10

The small light that Natsu had seen on the horizon of his mindscape grew as he approached it. He began to notice pillars of light emerging from the darkness around him as he progressed. He felt awed as he passed by them, only noticing that the further in he went the larger they became. What were pillars made of light made from woven strands became pillars of glass, the light running through them like the paths on a circuit board. Natsu could only assume that these were some form of the conduits he had been informed of in his studies of the Vex whilst in the Vanguard. He continued on his path towards the center of the light, shielding his eyes and squinting as he did so as to not lose his way. Soon the solid darkness beneath his feet gave way to more of the crystal like structures, the light strands inside the path pulsing underneath each of his footsteps as he moved. He noticed that the crystals began to jut up in a way as he went so as to form a path leading to the center of the light. Natsu decides to follow the path, all to eager to meet with true Darkness and find out how to get home. After several minutes of walking, Natsu had arrived at the center of the light source and looked at what he knew was a piece of pure Darkness.

Floating several meters off of the ground was an undulating black mass. It turned and rippled calmly as if pulled by an invisible force, undulating like a body of water in zero gravity. A single crytsal began to rise from the ground beneath it, the tendrils of light extending out of it an in to the ground, before another one rose from the ground in front of Natsu's hand. He extended his hand to the crystal, ignoring the burning as the tendrils of light wrapped around his hand and pierced his flesh. He felt the taint creep up his arm before his vision became white. He felt panic well up inside of him until he heard a single voice call out to him gently.

"Be at ease, bastard of Light."

Natsu blinked for several minutes before his vision began to clear as he looked at his location. The void of black had turned to white all around him, seemingly endless. He looked over, seeing a humanoid figure made of pure shadow kneeling in front of him several feet away. Natsu cautiosly stood before the character before mimicking his action and kneeling in front of the shade.

"Who are you?"

The figure regarded him for a moment, or at least Natsu felt that it did from the slight raise of it's head, before giving Natsu an answer.

"I am now the Isolated Mind. I am the fragment that you stole from the collective, tainted by Light, and am unable to communicate with the rest of myself." The shadow seemed to be sullen, or as sullen as a monotonous entity of Darkness could be. Natsu didn't make any effort to apologize, instead feeling his irritation climb at the tone of the shade.

"Well maybe you have an understanding of the way I feel now? You stole me from my home and trapped me in this world. You're my only hope for getting home, so I'd like to know what you know." His tone left no room for arguement, though the shade didn't seem to have any in it.

"I know what you want, and I can safely assure you that I know the location of your home. I know every bit of information about where to go, but not how to get there..." Natsu felt the hope that he had been fostering from the beginning fade just a bit, before coming forward and speaking eagerly.

"Then where can I find that information?" Natsu spoke slowly. The shade rose to it's feet and began to walk, slowly pacing circles around Natsu, who rose to his feet to follow the being, refusing to turn his back to it.

"That information is with me," The shade spoke before correcting itself. "Well, it's with the REST of me. When you took me, you only took a small piece of me. I am memory, pure data. More than an echo, but less than a threat. I am harmless, doomed to stand in here alone until you are consumed by Darkness, or I am set free. If you want that information, you must confront the rest of me, or the real me? I am unsure anymore. Your case is a first for everything I know. There has never been a creature with a tie to the Darkness like you being revived and wielding the Light. You are an anomaly, and wield something truly fightening."

"And what is that?" Natsu asked curiously.

"You wield the power of the unknown." The shade stopped in front of him, waving it's hand around the vast emptiness. "This space used to be filled with the infinite that was all of me, now I am alone, the removed variable. Isolated, but perhaps that in itself is the answer to my own issue."

"What are you talking about?" Natsu asked the odd shade.

"You want to know how to get home. I have the location, but not the knowledge on how to get you there. If you were to steal more of the Mind, like you stole me, than perhaps I could find more information on how to get you home." The mind seemed almost excited. Natsu stared at it for a moment before asking the question that had been on his mind for the last few minutes.

"Why are you helping me?" Natsu almost fell to the floor when the shade shrugged.

"I am unsure. I believe I have been tainted by Light. It has made me... sympathetic... Though I would like to know what you know about myself. Though we seem to share a body now, our minds are clearly seperated. Tell me what you know of the Darkness, and I will allow you more information to the extent of my own knowledge."

Natsu pondered on it for a moment before speaking. "From what I know, the Darkness is a force of evil, only seeking to feed on the Light and wipe it out." He looked to the shade, who only shrugged and responded.

"You see me as evil, but do you see the bird that eats the worm as evil? Have you not devoured once living creatures in the name of survival? The Darkness feeds on the Light, not as an act of evil, but as an act of necessity. For us to survive, we must consume. Whether on the microscopic or universal scale, it is the way survival. The strong consume the weak. I understand how you would see me as evil. The insect sees the foot of the creature that stomps it as evil, but the creature is unaware. It is merely doing what it knows, and will surely see the predator that kills it as evil. Yet none of them are evil. Niether am I. I am merely functioning in the way I must to survive in this dimension. I am not a vengeful entity. I merely work on knowledge, and shaping the areas that I inhabit to best suit me. Do you not do the same when you occupy an area? Has your Vanguard not built bases? Did humans not build cities on otherwise desolate planets?"

"If the Light is weak, than how is it that the guardians and Vanguard have been able to hold you back for this long?" Natsu countered, feeling slightly smug as the shade seemed to stare at him in silence, which Natsu took for it being confused. His face fell when the shade responded.

"You are the thorns upon the stem of the flower. You are a defense mechanism meant to drive away the weaker of predators, but what is the power of a thorn when compared to cold steel of a blade." The shade seemed angered. "It isn't that you're holding me back with smart defensive posture, it's that I've been busy elsewhere, as you are a prime example of, to thoroughly put my focus to you. Rest assured though, if I truly wanted to, I would just overwhelm your meager planet with hundreds of billions of my creations, and completely wipe you away."

Natsu shrunk back as the shade began to pace again.

"You think me to having an army that runs out?" It scoffed at him. "I am a being of the fourth dimension. I am made of infinity. The 'Vex' as you called them, are merely tools. Do you understand that the ones you destroy, I just simply go to a different time when they existed and bring them from there, and I can do it as many times as I want to. My army in literally infinite because I can arrange matter on the atomic level and breath life in to them. Time means nothing to me, and I can take from your future and send to your past without more than a thought. You aren't destryoing me or wittling down my numbers. You can't even begin to concieve me in your mind, you are physically incapable of doing so. So tell me then, if you can't even begin to fathom me, how could you possibly have a way to destroy me?"

Natsu felt himself anger at the words of the shade. He knew them to be true, but couldn't stop the burning at the efforts of so many people he knows being called pointless. He raised himself to the halted shade and brought himself close, ignoring the cold feeling at the close proximity.

"You will cease to exist when I do. I have no intentions of being devoured by the Darkness. You are in my mind, and as far as I am concerned, you are nothing more than a piece of me now, and you will do as I command! You are affronted your freedoms because I will them. I care nothing for what you were, only what you are now. You were not strong enough to stop me from taking you, and you are not strong enough to take over my body or mind and free yourself. You are a piece of me now, a part of the new collective that is me! Will you comply?!" He yelled to the shade, quoting the words that the Dark Mind had first questioned him with when it brought him to this new dimension. The shade took a step back before kneeling.

"I will do as ordered, but only to survive. I will help you get home, but on one last stipulation."

"Name it."

"I will help you garner the information that you want, but I want a body when this is over. I have been tainted with your Light, and will never be able to rejoin the collective unless the Darkness devours you. I wish to become autonomous to an extent after you have gained your passage home. There are many new subjects to study, and as I stated earlier, I work on knowledge." Natsu was taken aback as the shade spoke. It wanted a body. It was risky, and Natsu had questions.

"You feed on the Light, how can I be sure you won't begin to devour my home when you are granted a body?"

"The scans I took of your planet showed it to be greatly saturated in Light. It seems as if your dimension had yet to encounter pure Darkness. One of the reasons I appeared there was to see if it was possible to begin colonization. It is entirely so, but you have stolen that option from the collective when you took me. It seems that you took whatever information was related to your home, and now they, or me, has nothing to find it by."

"How can I know that to be true? You said you're infinite, and time has no meaning to you. Won't you just find it again?"

"That is where I help you. I can teach you how to communicate with the collective. You will pass a message to a captured unit that your dimension is listed as unsuitable, and it will transfer the information to the collective. The collective will recieve the message, and your dimension will never again be visited by the collective. I will be the only Mind to exist in your dimension, and I will be unable to duplicate myself, as I will still have a forced tether to you. As you said, I am now a part of you, and am forever bound to you. I cannot expand without your will, and it will always be like that. I will die when you die, but I wish to catalougue information and study in the meantime."

"What about the collective?" Natsu asked the shade. It paused for a moment before cocking it's head and staring at him.

"What about them?"

"Well, how do I know you aren't trying to trick me to go off and rejoin the collective?"

"Were you not listening or do you not understand?" The shade seemed annoyed. "I am tainted with Light. Were I to try to approach the collective, I would be devoured. My knowledge would not be assimilated, and my experience would be for nothing. Staying with you is the only option I have to the alternative of not existing entirely. The Light has tethered me to you, thus rendering me to be like you. I am now a third dimensional being, though I have knowledge and capability to comprehend the fourth dimension. I am likely the smartest entity to exist in this or any universe, and I am stuck in your mind with no way out. I am not overjoyed to be in this situation, but I will always have the instinct to continue."

"What happens when I assimilate these other Vex? Do I just grab any of them, or do I need special ones? Are they going to occupy my mind like you are? Am I going to have a bunch of you just wandering my mind now?" Natsu questioned the shade. It shook it's head.

"No. I will assimilate their knowledge, and destroy whatever remains of them. Your Light will isolate them, and my power will consume them. Your Darkness will not grow, as I will be preventing that. And to answer your previous question, yes, you will need to assimilate specific Vex. We will discuss that later though. You are here to gain my assistance. You have it. You are here to understand the Darkness inside of you. Do you?" The shade stopped in front of him, a single glowing red eye beginning to form in the center of it's face. Natsu nodded.

"I believe so. You are not truly evil or good, just another species in the flow of the universe trying to survive. You are merely chasing down your prey, and we are the defense mechanism of your prey. Tell me though, is all Darkness you, or are there different types?"

The shade seemed offended, it's red eye seeming to glow a darker red before responding. "Are all of the predators that eat a mouse the same animal? My kind are a different type of Darkness than those of the Hive. They are a race that is beginning to breach the fourth dimension, if their god king is anything to go by. Be hopeful that your Vangaurd eliminates him soon, or he will breach fully in to the fourth dimension and become nearly impossible for you to kill. Should he devour the Light of your 'Traveler' as you call it, than he will be unstoppable in this universe and any others he learns to breach."

Natsu nodded before reaching his hand out, the shade looking down at it before raising it's gaze to Natsu. Natsu rolled his eyes before speaking. "It's called a handshake. I accept your conditions, and this is the way that we seal this deal. You grasp my hand, and we shake on it. This is my way of giving you my word, and accepting you as my partner in this. I need you to get me home as much as you need me to get home so that you can get a body."

The shade paused for a moment before reaching it's hand out and grasping Natsu's not caring about the way that Natsu flinched, and shook it several times but not letting go.

Natsu felt cold tear through him as he shook hands with the shade. His eyes rolled in to the back of his head as the pressure behind his eyes grew to the point that he felt they may burst from his skull. He let out a silent scream as the shade refused to release his grasp, the cold creeping up his arm and into his head. He felt the veins in his neck and head begin to pulsate as the cold feeling finally settled behind his eyes. His vision turned from black to purple as the cold feeling finally covered his entire being. He felt chilled for several minutes, the shade still grasping his hand, before warmth began to overtake him. It began at his feet and crept up his body quickly, finally settling on the purple of his vision. He finally regained control of his vision and looked to the shade, noting that everything was tinted with a royal purple colour. The shade let go of his hand and backed away a few steps before speaking.

"A gift to mark the start of our partnership. behold what power you can wield when you embrace the Darkness and look passed it. This is the Light that exists beyond the Darkness. I am unsure on what it truly is, as it is older than my kind, but your kind have taken to identifying it as 'void'. Behold yourself now in your reality, and when it is time to begin assimilation we will speak again. I look forward to our next meeting, Natsu." And with those words, Natsu felt himself being flung from his mind.

* * *

He awoke to the sight of Dredgen Yor staring intently at him, noticing for the first time that his helmet was off.

The sight shook Natsu.

His flesh was pale and his face was thin, his eyes sunken in to their sockets and his cheeks guant. His marble skin gave way to the black veins underneath. The flesh around his eyes was pitch black, leading Natsu to finally looking in to his eyes, and nearly shuddering in fear at the man's gaze. His irises seemed to be made of green flame, much like what he saw at the Hive rituals. The gaze itslef seemed deranged, logic long fled from them only being handled by a feeling of cold evil. Natsu could tell everything he needed about Dredgen Yor now.

The man was pure evil.

Dredgen seemed to snap for a moment before his helmet quickly appeared back on his head, his face obscured, though Natsu could swear he still saw the glowing green eyes staring back at him. Dredgen rose to his feet, reaching a hand out and pulling Natsu with him to stand. Natsu stood and shrugged his hand from Dredgen's grasp.

"Did you do it? Did you confront your Darkness?" Dredgen was bouncing on his toes as he questioned Natsu. Natsu nodded and replied uneasily.

"I did. What now?"

"Show me!" Dredgen practically shouted at Natsu. Natsu responded by raising his hand and letting it catch fire. He concentrated for a moment as the flames in his hand began to slow down, and turn in to a royal purple colour. It slowly began to pulse and rotate, reminding Natsu of the pulsating Darkness that he had confronted in his mind. Dredgen took his hand in to his grasp for a moment before gasping in awe.

"To have the void element so powerful in you. You truly are an anomally. Amazing."

"Now what?" Natsu cut the power in his hand. Dredgen gestured him to follow him in to the other room.

"For now," Dredgen sat down at a table and pulled out several large binders of notes and drawings of Hive runes. "For now we will decypher these while I train you to harness your powers. Much as you encountered with the Sol Order, you have power but no training. I will correct that, and if you succeed as my disciple, I shall reward you."

"With what?" Natsu cocked his head, still weary of the man but curious on what he could have to entice Natsu to agreeing. Dredgen rose his hand up before the jagged hand cannon appeared in it. He set it down on the table and gestured to it.

"This is the Thorn. It is a gun that I invented, and have every intent to pass it to you if you can succeed in your training." Natsu could feel the taint of the weapon from several feet away, but he could also feel the power that thrummed in the weapon. He couldn't deny the want that he had for the piece, and idly wondered how hard it would be to control the weapon. He nodded to Dredgen, who only clapped before the handcannon disappeared and he slid a binder to Natsu.

"After we translate one binder, we will meditate and focus your power. If all goes well, you will be done in less than a month's time." Natsu nodded and opened the binder, beginning to translate the knowledge to the eager Dredgen who wrote it down in a duplicate binder.

* * *

Natsu couldn't tell how much time had passed. He had hoped that it had been less than a few months, but he had lost track of time quite a while ago. Dredgen had assured him multiple times that he had only been there for two and a half months before rushing him back in to his training. He had just finished his final translations for his warlock teacher, and was eager to finish his training. His power had become focused to the point of being able to compress a massive amount of energy in to a solid orb in his palm. The only issue he had is that it would detonate too early or too late, something Dredgen had begun to hammer down on. He felt the breakthrough was less than a day away, and couldn't wait to get back to the Tower. He still felt uneasy about his master, but had to admit that there was nobody better suited to train him on his own Darkness than someone like him.

Someone who had been devoured by it and remained somewhat human.

Natsu cheered as he finally managed to succeed with his timing, the small purple orb exploding exactly where and when he wanted it to. He quickly jogged over to the warlock, who was sitting against a box and clapping slowly. "So is this the end of my training?" Natsu questioned the warlock who held his arm out. Natsu grabbed it and pulled the man to his feet with a grunt, wondering how such a thin man could always seem to weigh so much. Dredgen nodded before walking towards the exit of the cavern that they had been staying in for Natsu's training. Natsu followed along, and after nearly an hour of walking Natsu came across something that he felt he hadn't seen in years.

The surface of the Moon.

He felt as if he could jump for joy when he looked at the blue orb that was Earth. He had enjoyed training with the Sunbreakers, and hadn't exactly minded training with Dredgen, but he couldn't deny how much he missed Tower. He even had to admit that he missed Zavala, but most of all he missed Amanda. He found himself thinking of her nearly every day, or at least what he though was a day. Time passed by strangely when you were in a cavern for weeks at a time. He wondered how happy she would be to see him, and if she missed him nearly as much as he missed her. He felt his chest thrumming as Dredgen finally turned and faced him.

"Well Natsu, this marks the end of our time together. You've done well, and helped me complete my research. That is something I thought would never be done, and I will always be thankful. Thanks to you, I have been able to translate entire novels and tomes written by the Hive, knowledge that I have already given your Ghost the duplicates of, and have had all of my questions answered. Now we must part ways, but I will still uphold my end of the bargain..." He held his hand out, and the Thorn appeared in it. Natsu eagerly reached for it, and nearly bit his tongue off when he finally had a solid grasp on it.

The first thing he heard were the screams.

They were maddening, all screaming at once in a language that Natsu quickly identified as Hive. He heard the screaming suddenly halt as he heard END chuckle in his mind, then all fell silent. He quickly had Specter transport the weapon to his inventory, deciding to have Banshee look at it in the Tower before he used it properly. He looked up to Dredgen, who was openly chuckling.

"She's got attitude. Maybe you can conquer it, Traveler knows that I couldn't. Your ship is just over that ridge, and everything should be good to take you back to Earth. This is goodbye Natsu. I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to go meet a man on Earth about his father. Stay safe..." And with that, Dredgen Yor faded away in a flash of purple flames. Natsu wasn't even sure what he wanted to say to the man, but decided that it was best that they parted with so few words. With a shrug, he walked towards the ridge that hid his ship, finally happy to be heading towards his temporary home.

Natsu felt the stress in his shoulders leave him as he entered the atmosphere of Earth. He looked at the display on his console and read the time to himself. '0445' He thought to himself. That meant that the staff of the hangar would all be away, and the androids would be left for processing any ships that came in. He supposed that was a good thing, it would leave him able to surprise Amanda, after he talked to the Vanguard. He still needed to inform Zavala and Ikora of the Sunbreaker's message, and also see if they knew anything about Dredgen. He still had his suspicions about the warlock, and needed to see why the Vanguard would assign such a corrupted person to analyze the Hive for so long. His thoughts were put on pause as he typed his request to land to the Vanguard, recieving the approval a few seconds later and steering himself towards the Last City. He watched the city appear over the horizon, the Traveler floating tall over it and filling him with a familiar sense of peace. He knew this place, knew these sights, and knew that for now this was a close as he would be getting to home.

* * *

His ship landed with a shake, the canopy of the ship coming unlocked and opening. Natsu climbed out and stood next to it, staring out at the Last City. The sun had just began to peek over the horizon, giving the sky a gentle blue light to everything. He felt a sense of peace run through him as he turned his ship over to the androids and walked towards the Vanguard meeting room. He descended the stairs, walking by the Crucible droid and towards the meeting room that held the Vanguard. He walked through the large archway and in to the room, noticing the two Vanguard leaders idly staring over a map and several reports. He cleared his throat, causing the two to snap up and stare at the guardian. He noticed the puzzled look in their eyes before Natsu sighed and his helmet vansihed off of his head, both leaders widening their eyes when they realized who it was. It was Zaval who spoke first.

"Natsu? You're alive?" Natsu rolled his eyes before crossing his arms and nodding. Ikora stepped forward and began to question him.

"Where have you been? Has it really taken the Sunbreakers this long to train you?"

Natsu shook his head before responding. "No, I finished training with the Sol Order after a few months. I've been on the Moon since then. Why? Did something happen while I was gone?" Natsu felt worry begin to creep in to him when the two leaders exchanged glances. Zavala stepped forward and spoke slowly.

"It's not that, Natsu. It's just... you've been gone for over two years..."

Natsu's heart felt cold. How had it been two years? He felt panic rise in him as he started to speak. "How could I have been gone for two years?! Dredgen promised me that it had only been a few months. He told me... He promised... Fuck!" His fist struck out, hitting the doorway of the room and smashing concrete to the ground. Ikora came forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to meet her stern gaze. Her voice was devoid of any pity or warmth when she spoke.

"You said Dredgen. Do you mean Dredgen Yor?" Natsu nodded and began to explain everything that had happened while he trained with the warlock. When he finished, he showed them the Thorn, each of them withdrawing at the taint of the weapon. "You need to take that to Banshee. He's going to need to tear it down and see exactly what it is." Natsu nodded and set the gun down on the table. His head felt like it was spinning with all of the information he was getting. He decided to start asking questions about his warlock master.

"Who is Dredgen Yor, and why is it such a big deal that I have the Thorn?"

"Dredgen Yor is a murderer." Ikora answered him quickly, her face now arranged in to a snarl. "He has killed some of our best guardians, as well as countless innocent people. He fell to the corruption of the Hive decades ago, and has been killing and devouring Light ever since. Now, we find out that you have met him, and you are going to take us to him."

"No need." A man's voice rang out through the room. Natsu turned around to see an Exo hunter coming in through the doorway. He stopped once he walked by Natsu, whistling at the concrete chunks on the floor, before walking up to Ikora. He held out his hand, a helmet that Natsu recognized appearing in his hand. It was Dredgen's helmet.

'Does this mean...?' Natsu didn't want to complete the thought, but Ikora had no qualms about voicing it.

"Is Dredgen Yor dead?" She asked quickly. The hunter tossed her the helmet without speaking and turned to face Natsu. He looked him up and down before speaking.

"So," his voice was calm, yet permanently sarcastic. "Who's the kid? New guardian? Why don't you go grab everyone some coffee, I'll take heated lubricant, and leave the grownups to talk for a bit. Ok?" Natsu felt his temper rise. His helmet quickly appeared on his head and he threw his arm out to the side. There was a loud clank as flames erupted from him and his hammer appeared in his hand. He reared his arm back and threw it, the hammer quickly crossing the room, only to stop against a purple barrier. A second hammer appeared in Natsu's hand as he reared back again, noticing the cracks in the barrier as Zavala stood with his arms out. Ikora had equipped a helmet and her shotgun, and the hunter had quickly donned his own helmet before his form began to crackle with electricity. He pulled a knife from his belt as the electricity formed a complete cloak around him. The three members of the Vanguard stood in the barrier as Natsu held his arm drawn back before allowing his flames to dissipate. He lowered his arm down to his side, the three members of the Vanguard remaining in their combat stances. Several tense moments passed before Natsu spoke.

"I'm not some kid. I am a Sunbreaker trained under Arminius. I am a Voidwalker, crawled from the Darkness of Dredgen Yor." The hunter seemed taken aback as Natsu spoke again. "I am the anomaly rescued by Kabr and killed by the Fallen. I am revived by your Traveler and bound to the Darkness. I am Natsu Dragneel, and you will not forget that. Got it, hunter?" The Vanguard stood down as they finally realized that there wasn't going to be a fight. The hunter sheathed his knife as the energy cloaking him vanished. His helmet came off and he walked forward, holding his hand out. Natsu shook it as the hunter spoke.

"Good show, Natsu. Name's Cayde-6. Call me Cayde. I'm the hunter master in the Vanguard. Yeah, don't do that again, by the way. Don't think there'd be much left of the Tower if all four of us had to go all out. Anyway, you said you trained under Dredgen?" Natsu nodded at the question. Cayde patted his shoulder before responding. "Well he's dead. Killed by the son of a man he butchered almost 20 years ago. Unfortunate thing is, we couldn't seem to find the Thorn anywhere on him. Guess we know why now..." Both guardians looked to the handcannon. Cayde walked over and picked it up, before shouting out in pain and throwing the gun across the room. Natsu grabbed it before it could hit the ground, looking in confusion as Cayde sank to his knees. Ikora looked at the gun and then at Natsu before realizing what had happened.

"The weapon seems alive in some way." She reasoned while helping Cayde to his feet. The hunter walked over and slumped down in a chair next to Zavala. "It seems as if the gun has chosen Natsu to be it's wielder."

Natsu looked at them before putting the handcannon back on to the table. Cayde grabbed a pen and scooted closer to the gun, poking it several times before speaking. "Well that answers that then. Congrats Natsu, you got yourself a cursed gun. Make sure you don't point it at anyone you don't want to kill, and be sure you don't play around with it too much. Don't want to lose an eye." Natsu looked at the three of them in cinfusion before speaking again.

"What makes it cursed?" Ikora walked over and tapped the gun with her finger, everyone noting the sizzling sound ass it burned then material of her glove from her finger. She held it up and responded.

"It means that the gun has become so tainted with Darkness that it's now a sentient being. It has chosen you for reasons we don't know, and refuses to be wielded by anyone else. So much for taking it to the gunsmith..." She wiped her hand on her coat and walked back over to stand by Zavala, who decided it was his time to speak.

"That weapon is a forbidden weapon, Natsu." Zavala cautioned. "It can never be used on a fellow guardian, for the Thorn devours Light. Any guardian that is killed by the Thorn will never be able to come back. Take that weapon and never use it. Hide it away somewhere that nobody will ever find it and leave it there. It is an evil weapon, only meant to cause pain and consume purity. Make sure I never catch you using it."

Natsu frowned and nodded. He felt disappointed about the news of his new gun. He could feel the power coursing through it, and found himself eager to try it, but if it was this dangerous, then maybe it was best that he didn't try to use it. He wouldn't get rid of it like Zavala had asked, it was too dangerous to leave unattended like that. He would keep it, and make sure that nobody got ahold of something so tainted. He stored the gun in his inventory, reminding himself to question Specter on where all of his weapons and armour went when he did that.

Zavala stepped forward and caught Natsu's attention by speaking. "Natsu, I have some news about Kabr..." That had Natsu's attention. He considered Kabr to be one of his few friends, and respected the man's ability to lead. He regretted losing the man's team to the wilds prior to his revival, and wanted a chance to apologize to him for it. Zaval cleared his throat before speaking again. "It seems as if Kabr and his newly assigned fireteam were lost to the Vault of Glass. We had a single hunter survive and manage to flee back to us, but everyone else is gone. I'm... sorry to have to tell you this."

Natsu felt his heart drop as he heard of the fate of his first friend in this universe. He wouldn't shed any tears for the guardian, but he would certainly mourn his passing. Natsu felt a hand on his shoulder as Zavala spoke. "It seems he had some idea as to what would happen." Natsu looked at him in confusion before Zavala continued. "His ship arrived, and is now coded to to be piloted by you and only you. I need you to sign this." Zavala held out a glowing tablet, which Natsu quickly scribbled his signature in a daze. "You can fin it in the hangar. We're done for today, but come back tomorrow morning for a full debriefing. Dismissed." Natsu nodded and turned to leave through the doorway, passing the Crucible handler on his way out. The man nodded to him before heading down the stairs. Natsu decided to just go register his new ship before heading back to the apartment he shared with Amanda, or at least he hoped he still did.

* * *

The ship was a matte gold finish. It had two engines as at least twice as tall as Natsu and a relatively small cabin. The storage area on it was empty, and just large enough for him to stand up in. He walked out of the back of his new ship, the door closing behind him as he walked to the side and climbed in to it, the canopy closing over him as he sat in the pilot's seat. He adjusted all of the controls to better fit him, and fine tuned the navigation systems. He reached the final commands of the ship before a Vanguard form appeared on the display. He typed in all of the ship's specifications and stopped when he paused on the name of the ship, noting how it was blank. He paused for a moment as he thought of his friend, and recalled the title he had when he had fought in the Battle of Six Fronts. 'Kabr the Legionless' Natsu thought to himself. He looked down at the pad before nodding and typing in the new name of his ship.

Monument of the Legionless

Natsu felt happy with that name, and decided that it was perfect. He had just submitted the form when a message popped up on his screen. He felt confusion as he read who the message was from.

'Prerecorded message from /Kabr/, will you accept?' Natsu pressed the green accept button and felt his soul clench as he saw the video of his first friend ion front of him. He was seated in the same chair that Natsu currently occupied, and was looking to the smae panel that Natsu was. He started off his message with a sigh.

"Natsu, I'm making this message for you because I just have this feeling that I won't be able to deliver it to you myself. It's been three months since I was assigned to the Vault of Glass, and my new team and I are getting ready to breach and lead an expedition in. I don't think I'm going to make it back, but I'm okay with that. I've lived a long time, and done many things for the Vanguard. I have served faithfully, and feel that I have earned my rest. On that note, I feel that you will be the best to take care of my ship if something happens. You have a strong soul, and I'm sure the Vanguard can help you get home. I hope you are trained before you try to fly this baby. She has a bit of a temper, but I'm sure you can tame her. Be good, Natsu, and take care of yourself. You have a home, even though I'm sure you've never forgotten that. This is the last thing I can do to help you get there..." Natsu watched with silent tears as Kabr reached forward and pushed something on the console before the message ended. He felt a sense of pride that the legenary titan held him in such high regards. He relaxed back in his seat as he gathered his thoughts. He sat there for several hours, just watching the sunrise through the hangar bay.

* * *

By the time Natsu felt he was ready to leave the ship, it was already noon. He equipped his helmet on so as to avoid anyone seeing his bloodshot eyes. The canopy opened and he climbed out, hopping to the ground and landing roughly on the ground. The androids running diagnostics on his ship paying him no mind. Natsu stood and dusted himself off before walking towards the exit of the hangar bay. He had nearly made it to the exit when a flash of blonde caught his eye. He felt his heart flutter as he looked over to the source, nearly calling out to her right then. He stared as Amanda Holliday walked down the stares and towards the doorway that he was about to go through. He felt himself freeze at how she had changed, and how beautiful she looked.

Her hair had grown slightly longer, falling just passed her shoulders. She wore black pants, both tucked in to polished black boots and a grey wifebeater. Her right arm now bore a dark tattoo, starting in darkness at her shoulder and stripes way down to her elbow, each one thinner than the last. She wore a vibrant red scarf around her neck, and a pair of welding goggles on top of it. She had gotten slightly taller, but filled out quite a bit more. Natsu had to admire the curves that had just started prior to his leaving, and the end result that they were now. He was about to run up and grab her, but it seems that someone else had beaten him to it.

A man in a grey mechanic suit wrapped him arms around her and turned her to face him. His skin was slightly pale and he had black hair and light green eyes. She huffed at him, lightly slapping his chest, before she pulled the man's face down to hers, their lips meeting gently. Natsu felt his heart clench as he watched the woman he had feelings for kiss another man. He felt his Light fluctuate, the heat around him simmering slightly. He got himself back under control, his fist clenched and shaking at his side. He felt a nagging laughter in his head as his heart beat painfully, he could tell that END was enjoying this. He watched in complete stillness as the two of them conversed lightly, Amanda laughing at something the man said, before kissing him again. The two seperated and continued on in to the hangar, niether seeming to notice Natsu as they walked by. Natsu felt the pain in his chest settle in to something he was very familiar with.

Rage.

He wanted to destroy someone, or something, and from the feeling rapidly growing inside of him, he needed to. Soon. He jogged up the stairs and out of the hangar, quickly sprinting through the common area, and towards the Speaker. Maybe the man would have some sort of bounty for him, or some sort of fight. He had just gotten through the hallway that lead to the Speaker's chambers, when a voice called out to him. Turning, Natsu saw the man who had called him. It was the handler for the New Monarchy. Natsu felt his annoyance grow before walking over to the man. His skin was slightly tan, his eyes sharp, and his facial hair neatly trimmed to a thin moustache. The man had a fake smile plastered on his face as he gently placed a hand on Natsu's shoulder and guided him towards the couch. Natsu let himself be seated as he stared at the man, who sat across from him.

"You seem lost, guardian." His voice was so sweet that it made Natsu's stomach turn. "I know that I may not seem like the man in charge of the Tower, but I can assure you that the New Monarchy is gaining the power needed to overthrow the Speaker. He has proven himself as a weak leader, and highly ineffective. We all feel that the New Monarchy would be best suited to leading the Tower in to a bright and joyous future, free of Darkness. We need help, however, with gaining support. We need champions to showcase the power of our faction, and you seem like a powerful man. Do you have a faction?" His smile grew when Natsu shook his head in the negative. "Excellent! I feel that if you join us, then we will finally have the numbers needed to take dominance over the Crucible, and people will understand our strength. They will see how we will stand in opposition to the Speaker, and they will not be afraid to voice their displeasure. He'll have to step down, and who better to take over than the leader of the strongest of the factions?" So, will you help us gain our rightful position and lead us to a better future?" The man seemed excited by the end of his speech.

Natsu stood from his seat and quietly excused himself. The man stared in confusion as Natsu walked in to the Speaker's chambers before emerging a minute later, the Speaker himself in tow. They both came to stand in front of the man, who glared at the Speaker before turning to Natsu. "What is the meaning of this?" He questioned angrily. Natsu shrugged before speaking.

"I've decided that I'd like to burn off some steam and test myself. I'll make a bet with you. I'll take on your best six guardians in the Crucible. Just me, nobody else. If your people can kill me once, then I'll join your faction and help you overthrow the Speaker. If I win, however, you stop this idiotic propoganda and these attempts to overthrow the balance. Do you accept?" Natsu kept calm, but the fury of the day was burning in his chest. His fingers were twitching, and his muscles all felt tense. He stared at the man, glad his helmet was on so that he couldn't see the fury in his eyes. The man scoffed before looking to the Speaker.

"Why is he here then?" He gestured to the robed man, who had yet to speak. Natsu pointed at the Speaker before voicing himself.

"He's here to make sure that you don't renege on the bet, should you accept. So, are you confident in the power of your guardians to take on me and me alone?"

The man paused for a moment in thought, before holding his hand out to Natsu, who quickly shook it. "You've got a deal." His voice held malice in it. "I will assemble my team, just be ready by tomorrow morning." He turned to look at the Speaker. "You make sure to let Shaxx know. I'll let him pick the battlefield. Hope you're ready to wear red," He turned back to Natsu. "You're going to be wearing a lot of it..."

Natsu returned to the apartment that he shared with Amanda. As much as he didn't want to be there, it was his assigned living space, and where he could be found if something had changed or the Vanguard needed him. He quickly noticed that nobody was there, thankfully, and he made his way towards his room. The first thing he had noticed was the dust that covered everything in his room. 'Guess Amanda couldn't stand being in here any more than I could...' He thought to himself. He looked at the clock on the wall, noticing the time. '1545' he cursed to himself. He closed and locked his door before walking over to his bed. He fell in to it as the dust kicked up before rolling on to his back and crossing his arms. He didn't bother taking off his helmet. Sleep overtook him, but dreams seem to elude him for the entirety of the night, much to his delight.

He was awoken to the sound of Specter floating around his room and chirping. He looked to the clock on the wall and noticed the time. '0600' he stood from his bed and stretched, before remembering what had transpired the day before. He decided that he would take a quick shower before heading out. He quietly stepped in to the bathroom and quickly undressed as he climbed in to the shower. He didn't wait for the water to heat up, and by the time it had, he was already done with his shower. He turned both of the knobs off, wincing as one of the squeaked loudly, before climbing out and dressing himself. He didn't bother drying himself, as his bodyheat dried him nearly instantly.

* * *

Amanda woke to the sound of her shower faucet squeaking loudly. She sat up groggily and looked at the time, noticing that she didn't have to be in for duty for another three hours. She lie back down as she sleepily thought of who was showering. She had figured that it was her boyfriend, as he had taken to staying the night more than a few times, but sat up quickly as she realized that he hadn't stayed last night. She ran through the thoughts of anyone else who came over, quickly narrowing the list to one other person. A guardian that she had thought dead. She heard the bathroom door open, and footsteps echo through the house towards the front door. She quickly jumped from the bed and ran from her room as the apartment door opened. She caught sight of the back of a guardian, pink hair upon his head. "Natsu!" She yelled as the door shut behind him. She knew he heard her, but could only wonder why he hadn't turned around to face her, or even bothered speaking to her. She ran to the apartment door and threw it open, noticing Natsu as he disappeared in particles of Light. That meant he was going to the hangar so he could go to orbit. She turned back in to the apartment, intent on dressing and reaching the hangar before he could leave.

When Amanda fianlly reached the hangar, there was nobody there but the service droids. They were cleaning the spot that a ship had been parked for nearly two years. She had seen the reports that it had been owned by the gurdian Kabr and was listed to a special guardian, but any records beyond that were listed as confidential. Amanda walked over to the service droid and snatched the tablet from it's hand. The droid snapped a salute before grabbing a broom and sweeping the floor around it. Amanda bit her cheek as she took in the information of the ship.

SHIP ID: 019892384

ALIAS: Monument to the Legionless

CLASSIFICATION: Kestrel

GUARDIAN: Dragneel, Natsu

Amanda dropped the tablet as she stomped towards the Vanguard. Zavala knew she would've wanted to know when Natsu was back, and she was intent on strangling it out of the Vanguard Commander as to why he didn't inform her. She had just descended the stairs from the common area when she saw Zavala and the Speaker talking to Shaxx. The Crucible handler was laughing as he pulled out a tablet and handed it to Zavala. The Awoken man took it before his eyes widened and he looked over to the Speaker. "You can't be serious!" Zavala stated in shock. "He just got back and this is what you'll have him do?" Amanda decided that now was the time to interrupt their conversation, and did so by stomping up and poking Zavala in the chest roughly. The man didn't seem affected in the slightest as he looked down to her. Amanda poked him again before beginning her rant.

"Who is going to explain to me why I wasn't informed that Natsu had returned? I specifically requested that I be told when he got back!" Zavala grabbed her hand firmly in his before she could poke him again. He gave her a look that silenced her before looking over to the Speaker, who decided to finally answer Zavala's question.

"It was not my decision to have him do this. He came to me yesterday and asked me to bear witness to a deal he had stricken with Executor Hideo. I merely bore witness and got Shaxx to oversee the match." The speaker gestured to the Crucible Handler, who was still chuckling. Zavala rounded on him next.

"Shaxx, why would you approve such a match. Any of us would be hard pressed to take on New Monarchy's top six. Why would you think it's okay to let him go?" Shaxx just shrugged at the irate Zavala before speaking.

"You didn't see him this morning. His flames will heat the crucible to a new high. He will be a guardian for the ages, and I figured that this would help out the Speaker. One less fly to try and swat later." He nodded to the Speaker, who could only nod back.

Amanda, tired of being ignored, snatched the tablet from Zavala's hand to see what he was talking about. It was a standard Crucible deathmatch with several stipluations. No revives, and no respawns. She figured that whoever was going in for that had some serious point to prove. She scrolled down, figuring it would be another faction pissing contest, only to stop when she read the name of the guardians fighting.

GUARDIANS: /Natsu Dragneel/ ALPHA TEAM against /top six of New Monarchy/ BRAVO TEAM DESTINATION: CITY WRECKAGE /EUROPE/  
TIMEFRAME: /0730-0745/  
SCORE LIMIT: ALPHA /6/ BRAVO /1/  
MODIFIERS PRESENT: /NO/ RESPAWNS /NO/ REVIVE /NO/ SURRENDER /NO/ RADAR

APPROVAL STATUS: /APPROVED/  
OVERSEER: /SHAXX/

She felt numb as she read the full details of the battle. It was like Natsu was trying to kill himself. She had watched the best of New Monarchy go against entire full fireteams and come out flawless. The tablet was pulled from her hands by Shaxx, who had decided that is was time to get going. He began to walk towards the hangars, intent on overseeing the match personally. He was followed by Zavala and a shocked Amanda all the way to his ship. He climbed in to the cabin, the slight hiss of the canopy closing over him before going through all of the startup process. He watched Zavala walk the mechanic away as his ship took off and he headed towards his destination.

Amanda sat on an oil drum as several mechanics bustled around. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Zavala. He looked at her with pity before speaking.

"I can't tell you where he was, and I was just waiting for the right way to tell you that he was back. Apparently you two must've passed eachother, if the time logs were anything to go by. You and that mechanic Jack both registered passing through the security gate mere seconds before Natsu was registered as leaving. He went straight to the Speaker after that. I had figured that he would've come to see you right away, given your friendship, but I guess something he saw made him take precedence. I'm not too sure what it was though..." He trailed off as Amanda thought about it. The only time that her and Jack had come in at the same time was yesterday after lunch. They were walking back, and had a moment on the stairs. She raised her head in alarm as the thought hit her. Had Natsu seen her and Jack kissing? She had wanted to sit with him before he knew of her relationship. She wanted to talk to him and explain herself. She felt he had deserved that, but that seems to have gone out the window. She sat there, next to Zavala for several more minutes before the voice of her boyfriend broke her from her thoughts.

"Babe! You gotta come down to the bar with us real quick. Some idiot challenged New Monarchy to a one on six battle. We gotta go see this guy get thrashed!" Amanda felt her stomach twist when she heard her boyfriend speak about the match. It was rare for matches to be broadcast, as New Monarchy was usually the one who would broadcast them, and only when they were sure of a destructive victory. She felt Zavala pull her to her feet. She turned to look at him, but he refused to make eye contact, opting to stare straight ahead as he began to shuffle her out the gate and towards the bar. Jack followed behind eagerly. Amanda felt like her feet were made of lead. Every step felt heavy, and the knot in her chest only grew worse. She tasted bile in the back of her throat as they finally stood in the crowded bar. There were so many people there for it barely being passed 0800. She felt Zavala clear a path to the front of the bar and place her on one of the stools. He took the seat next to her, and Jack stood leaning against the bar as they all stared at the TV screen. The New Monarchy emblem flashed across the screen as cheers erupted. The whole bar quieted down bit as Shaxx appeared on the screen. He stood before two teams of guardians. The team for New Monarchy stood, weapons primed and polished, and armour glowing bright red in the sunlight. They held their banner for Bravo team proudly. Natsu stood alone, unmoving as he held the banner for Alpha team. He armour was scratched and dinged, and his gun looked to be in terrible condition, seeming to have gone years without care or use. Bets immediately began to fly out for New Monarchy. Amanda felt the bile rise up her stomach as she stared at Natsu's form on the monitor.

* * *

Shaxx had just finished calling out the rules for the match, and asked if everyone understood. Natsu hadn't been listening since the man first began to speak. He felt the blood pumping in his ears, and saw everything in high detail. He felt his adrenaline spike, and combined with the rage in his chest, only left one want in his chest.

Kill.

The word seemed to fly in his brain over and over, getting louder and louder. He could feel END banging against his cage, and fighting to take over. He didn't need END to kill these people. Didn't need him to focus his fury. He wanted to kill, something he never thought he'd feel in his life, but it seems the Darkness in him had become stronger when he merged with the Isolated Mind. He nodded at Shaxx as the Handler faced him. His grip on the banner was beginning to bend the metal. He looked over, only to see the metal under his hand glowing orange. He squeezed it the rest of the way, snapping the pole in half before he tossed it to the side.

"Get on with it..." He growled out to Shaxx, who could only laugh. He watched the other guardians as they were teleported to their spawn before Light consumed him and he was teleported to his.

* * *

Amanda felt her fears confirmed as she heard his voice. He had seen her and Jack kissing, and he was furious.

* * *

Natsu felt his feet touch the ground as Shaxx's voice rang out.

Kill. Them. All!

He felt himself smiling as he took off in to the wreckage of the city. He climbed over cars and ran through destroyed buildings. He crouched low as he heard a rustling twenty yards in front of himself. He peeked through a window to see a guardian crouching by a stairway, facing the opposite direction with a sniper rifle. He raised his rifle up and sighted in on the guardian. He fired a small burst before the barrel of his rifle exploded, watching in satisfaction as the rounds climbed up the man's chest and roke through the side of his helmet. He watched the blood shoot against the wall before the man's Ghost came out with a happy sigh. He looked down to his rifle, noting that it was destroyed beyond repair. He cast it to the side as he ran away from his kill, intent on hunting down the others.

* * *

Amanda watched the replay of his first kill with a heavy heart. She had known that he was angry, but the satisfied sigh he gave off afterwords had chilled her slightly. She adjusted in her seat to look at Zavala. Judging from his clenched jaw, he felt the same way.

* * *

Natsu found his second guardian, or more accurately, the second guardian found him. Natsu had just climbed over a car when a flash grenade landed in front of him. he leapt over the car an took cover before the grenade went off, barely avoiding being blinded, but losing his hearing temporarily from the concussion. He peeked over the car, noting that he could see the guardian staring at him from a considerble distance with a shotgun. He raised his hand to his ear, likely letting the others know where he was, before advancing slowly on Natsu. Natsu channeled his Light to his hand and felt the flame grenade appear in his palm. He stood from cover, the enemy firing off a round as Natsu threw the grenade. It stuck to the man's head before detonating. Natsu didn't watch this one, instead focusing on the stinging in his chest. He leaned back against the car as he stared at the damage on his chest. The plate had been ruined, and several balls of lead were lodged in it. Natsu shucked the armour from himself, noticing that a few rounds had penetrated his armour and were lodged in the skin of his gun. He raised a flaming hand to the wound, not making a sound as the would cauterized. He stood and stretched quickly, noting the pain wasn't nearly as bad, before darting away from the now headless guardian, his Ghost floating lazily over his corpse.

He had been moving constantly for nearly five minutes before deciding he could rest for just a moment. He sat against a wall, slumping down to the ground as he caught his breath. He noted a small glimmering light in the distance before his intsincts told him to dodge. He was nearly beheaded a moment later as a sniper round tore through the side of his helmet. He quickly ducked in to a building and sprinted away from the scene, needing to get away from his last known location. He sprinted away for nearly a minute before sitting down once more. His visor was cracked, and his ear stung. He reached up and pulled off his helmet, tossing it across the dilapidated room. It crashed against the wall. He reached up and felt along the side of his face, feeling shards of glass from his helmets stuck in his cheek. he began to pull the ones he could from his face before stopping as he heard footsteps in the room next to his. He felt his anger flare with his Light as he struck his hand out, a loud metal clank followed by his form becoming enveloped in flames. He struck his hammer through the door to the room, noting the disintigrating form of a guardian on the other side. He heard stomping from down the hallway and turned to see a titan flying towards him. His arms were drawn back and electricity crackled from his form. Natsu threw his hammer, killing the guardian before he could land his Fist of Havoc. He felt his power beginning to flicker and ran outside.

He came to the sight of a guardian leaning against a car, obviously caught by surprise at the flaming guardian emerging from the building. Natsu didn't give him a chance to move, throwing a hammer through the guardians chest as his power finally flickered down, his flames vanishing as the corpse of the guardian fell to the ground. Natsu took a moment to smell the fresh air, ignoring the burning smell of meat and cloth, before sprinting off in a random direction. He only had one guardian left to kill, and his anger hadn't vanished in the slightest. He was sprinting through cars when he caught sight of the last guardian. He stood nearly a hundred meters away from him, and jusging from the small glint, the man was using a sniper rifle. Natsu reared his arm back and threw another grenade before ducking along a row of cars and running alongside them. The grenade landed near the guardian and detonated, injuring him slightly but not killing him. The guardian moved to repostion himself before he heard a shift behind him. He turned and came face to face with the angered glare of Natsu. He raised his weapon, only for Natsu to rip it from his hand and smash it against a car, rendering the weapon useless. The guardian raised his hand up but stopped as Natsu gripped his wrist. He screamed out when Natsu squeezed, the bones breaking. Natsu continued to squeeze as the guardian screamed and fell backwards. Natsu landed on the man, releasing his arm. Flames poured from his mouth as he reared his arm back.

"I SURRENDER!" The guardian screamed out, only for the voice of Shaxx to echo out.

"There is no surrender. Guardian," Natsu lifted his head. "Finish this!" Natsu grinned before looking down to the guardian, his smile vanishing as the flames began to pour from his mouth again. The guardian pleaded with him to end it quickly. Natsu sat back before staring at the man and speaking slowly and loudly.

"I will. If you can tell me why it hurts."

"W-What?"

Natsu's fist impacted the man's face. He pulled his arm back and punched again, speaking in time with each of his hits.

"I want to know why it hurts! I was taken here. I didn't get a choice. I miss my home." The man's helmet broke, revealing his terrified face. "And everytime it starts to get better for me." The man's nose was broken as blood poured from his various wounds. "Everytime I start to find something that makes me happy!" The man's screaming had stopped as Natsu continued to smash his face. "It gets TAKEN AWAY FROM ME!" He raised both of his arms up, smashing them down on the now dead guardian, the man's skull giving with a crack as brains poured out. Natsu raised his arms up and shouted out to the heavens as flames emerged from him and consumed everything nearby. "WHY CAN'T I BE HAPPY?! WHERE'S MY HAPPILY EVER AFTER?!"

Shaxx's voice rang out through the area. "Well fought Guardian! Victory goes to Alpha team!"

* * *

The broadcast cut out across the now silent bar. Everyone stared slackjaw at the screen after the brutal show that the pink haired guardian had just given. They had seen plenty of matches, and there was always a level of gore to them, but this guardian had to have set some sort of record. Everyone slowly began to shuffle out of the bar, nothing more than a quiet murmur rang out as the bar emptied. After several minutes, the only people in the bar were Amanda, Zavala, and Jack. Amanda had long since broken down, and was now resting her head on her arm as she gently sobbed and continued to mutter apologies. Zavala gently pat her back, and Jack chose to remain a safe distance from the woman, having never seen her like this before. Zavala stood from his stool and gently guided the distraught woman towards the exit of the bar.

"Take the next few days off, Amanda. I'll make sure he stops by at least once. I'm not sure what is going on, but I'll assume you do. Rest, and no visitors," Jack shrank back as Zavala gave him a glare. "Until you're ready to come back to work. Make sure you get the approval from Ikora first." Amanda nodded as Zavala walked her back to her apartment, jack remaining behind to finish his shift.

Zavala had just gotten Amanda back to her apartment when he stopped to lean against the wall. He felt a shudder tear through him as he realized that he was partially at fault for the pain that Natsu was in. He sent him away, right when he had earned the new guardians trust. He had told himself that it was what was necessary for the Vanguard, but his heart still felt pain as he remembered the look on the man's face as he beat that guardian to death. He felt the reality of his job sink on his shoulders as he squared himself up and began to walk to the Vanguard. He wouldn't apologize to Natsu, but he would do everything he could to make sure he would get home.

He owed him that.

* * *

Natsu landed in the hangar, his canopy opening up on him. He sat still for several moments before unbuckling himself and climbing out. He hadn't cleaned up after his match, instead opting to sit in orbit for nearly an hour to cool off. His stomach felt heavy, the blood on his hands overwhelming his sense of smell. He could see every moment in which he killed those guardians. He felt the final guardian's skull caving in over and over again. He could hear END purring happily in his mind. His stomach lurched and he leaned over a barrel and vomited roughly on to the concrete. There wasn't much to it, given that all he'd eaten for the last two years was ration bars. He wiped his mouth and continued on towards the Vanguard. He forced himself to stand up straight and walk proud, just in case anyone was watching.

He made it to the Vanguard with no hassle, it seemed that anyone who caught his match had decided not to approach him. He didn't recieve anything more than a few nods on his entire walk. He descended the stairs and walked to the room that the Masters stood in. He noticed that Shaxx and the Speaker were also present. The Speaker was the first to appraoch him.

"Natsu Dragneel, today has shown us a great many things. You have demonstrated the power of a Sunbreaker, something that hasn't been see in the Tower in decades. You have also show the New Monarchy that there are those who disagree with their politics, and the power you wield will dissuade others from being swayed to their cause. For these great demonstrations of the Vanguard's, as well as my, honor, you are awarded with this." He presented Natsu with a band covered in circuitry. Natsu stared at it before looking up to the Speaker, who answered his silent question. "This is a blank Warlock bond. You need only think of what you want it to be, and touch it with your Light. The circuits will analyze and duplicate the pattern you wish and display it upon your arm." He motioned to Ikora, who showed off her band, proudly displaying the Vanguard logo on her right arm. Natsu nodded to the Speaker, who bowed to him gently and left the room. Shaax was the next to step forward.

"What you displayed in there was amazing! I've never seen such a determined guardian. You would surely give an Iron Lord a worthy fight. I noticed your armour got trashed in the match, so I had my techs make you a new set of Holdfast armour. It's the best in the Vanguard right now, and I'm positive that you've earned it. It will be done in a few days, so rest easy knowing that you have upgrades waiting for you." Shaax pat his shoulder and walked out of the room. Zavala spoke up next.

"Natsu, throughout your entire time here, you have served the Vanguard faithfully. Today was just another example of that, and for that we reward you with this." Zavala handed Natsu a piece of paper with the words Hakke written on it. "It's a shipment of Hakke's newest firearms. They aren't set to release to the market for several more years, but you have earned the first model of each production. They should be in around the same time that your armour finishes. They will hopefully serve you as well as you have served us." Zavala silently turned away from Natsu and walked back to the end of the table to file over the reports on it. Ikora stepped forward.

"Natsu, what you did today was impressive. You wiped an entire fireteam of New Monarchy's best soldiers, something even we would be hard pressed to do." Natsu felt his chest swell with pride at the stoic woman's compliment. "But, I also saw something that caused me great concern. You are unstable right now, therefore I deem you unfit for duty. Take a few weeks and get your mind together, I can tell you're barely holding on right now." She gently pat Natsu's head before moving over to stand with Zavala. Cayde finally walked up and slung an arm over his shoulder.

"I'm not gonna give you some emotional speech. What you did was damn impressive, but you got some screws loose. Get those all tightened down, and I'll have a mission for you. I'll give you more details when Ms. Buzzkill over there gives you the all good. Now get out of here. Go home and rest for a bit." He watched Cayde walk over and begin to harass Zavala, the titan only sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. Natsu turned around and slowly trudged back to his apartment, figuring that Amanda would be working in the hangar when he got there.

* * *

Natsu cursed his luck as he stared at the blonde woman sleeping in his bed. All he had wanted to do at this point was catch some rack time, but it seemed as if he wouldn't be getting that. He began to turn to go sleep on the couch when a voice caught his attention.

"Don't... Please... Don't go..."

* * *

This chapter was fun to write, but the free time was hard to find. As an electric motor tech., I can tell you that people suck around the holidays. Your heater goes out and you get all whiny while me and my coworkers try and fix it or order a new motor, and that could take a couple days. If you have a heater out, or a pump or something that needs to be repaired, don't hassle your mechanic. I've put a few motors at the bottom of my list because the people are annoying. Here's a life tip, ALL MECHANICS DO THIS. Don't annoy them or they'll make you wait longer and generally pay more. They can wiggle in their prices a little bit 'till you piss 'em off, then you're screwed.

Anyway, my rant is over. Leave a review and tell me how I'm doing,

Temper


	11. Chapter 11

Light

Chapter 11

* * *

"Don't go, please?"

Natsu turned to look at the blonde on his bed. She had awoken, and was now sitting at the foot of his bed, her body tense to chase after him if need be. Natsu sighed and wiped his face, squinting in pain as he ran his hand over the broken shards of glass from his visor. He realized that he still had some injuries to attend to, and figured that this would be the best moment to speak with Amanda. 'Yeah sure, just go ahead and pull the glass from your face and the lead from your gut while the girl you have feelings for justifies herself...' He thought to himself bitterly. His gaze focused in to see Amanda staring at him, likely waiting for his answer. He moved over to his desk and sat in the chair as he pulled a small mirror and some tweezers from his drawer. He leaned forward, Specter coming out and projecting light to Natsu's face to help him see while he completed his task. He had just pulled the first shard out when he decided to answer Amanda.

"Speak."

Amanda was at a loss. She had prepared for this moment for the nearly three months that her and Jack had been dating, or at least what she would tell him if he was still alive. She had run over every scenario she could think of, but none involved her sitting in his room while he pulled glass from his face, after having just brutally slain six guardians and losing his mind. She felt her mouth go dry as she made eye contact with Natsu in the mirror that he had set on his desk. She opened her mouth several times to speak, but words never came out. She finally settled for something easy.

"How have you been?"

She wanted to hit herself. Hard. Two years away and the best she could come up with was that? She stared at her hands in her lap, fists clenched and knuckles white, as she waited for his angered lashing. She raised her head in surprise when she heard his chuckle.

"I've been fine. Well, I was, until yesterday morning. Yesterday... was just one of those days. Ya know?" Natsu watched Amanda flinch slightly before pulling another shard of glass from his face. He heard her take a deep breath before her next statement came from her.

"I waited for you." Natsu scoffed.

"Not long enough, apparently."

He expected the slap, and did nothing to stop it. He would have to at least thank her for not hitting the side with the visor shards in it. He set down his tweezers, Specter vanishing in to Light particles as Natsu swiveled in his seat to face her. Amanda stood with tears in her eyes, her fists clenched as she stood behind him, breathing heavily. Natsu looked at her without any hint of fear as he spoke his next words.

"You expect it to mean any difference to me? I didn't know how long I was gone until I was already back. As far as I had known, I was gone for just under five months, only to come back and find my first friend in the universe dead, his ship left to me as he knowingly left for said death, and that I was gone for over two years. Then, when I finally start to get through the first part of my day, I come across the only woman I feel anything for in the arms of another man. It may have been over two years for you, but it wasn't for me. You were all I thought about when it was too hard for me to even stand. You were the only reason I finished my training so quickly. I had figured the faster I finished my training, the faster I see you. Then I come home to see that everything I fought for, everything I worked so hard for, was gone. My friend is dead, and the woman I dared to like is with someone else." Natsu felt the veins in his neck and head pulsating, the migraine entering his skull like a blade. He looked over to Amanda, seeing the defeated posture she took as she sat on his bed once more.

"It wasn't like it was easy for me either!" She yelled, raising up from her seat to stare him in the eye. Natsu cursed himself, because even in this state, with her eyes filled with tears and her hair a mess...

She was still so beautiful.

He stomped down the pain in his chest as he focused on her gaze, noting the anger was slowly building back up. He blew out a gust of air as he sat back down in the chair, Amanda sitting on the foot of his bed, her gaze growing angrier and angrier. Natsu pulled the knife off of his belt and set it on the desk, ignoring Amanda's look of curiosity over it. He slowly drew the blade out and held it firmly in his hands, before opening the wounds that he had cauterized in his gut during the match.

Amanda watched in horror as Natsu dug the blade in to his gut, digging in to each wound and twisting the blade slightly. She watched him pull the blade out, and a metal ball with it each time. He pulled out a total of five lead balls, each one stained with blood as he laid them neatly on his desk. He raised a single finger in to the air, locking eyes with Amanda, as he set it on fire. He drug his finger across each wound, sealing them closed with a harsh sizzle, never breaking eye contact with Amanda. She could only watch in morbid fascination as he didn't flinch a single time as he cauterized his wounds. He stood from his chair, pulling the remains of his shirt up and over his head, exposing the many scars he had gained in his training. She felt herself blushing as she saw the toned and rippling muscle under the scarred flesh as he tossed his shirt on to the floor and walked out of the room. She stood and followed him in through the living room and in to the kitchen. She watched him pull a raw steak ouut of the fridge and take a large bite out of it. She heard sizzling as she looked at the smoke pouring from his mouth as he chewed.

He was literally cooking the food as he ate it.

He chewed slowly, staring at the blonde woman questioningly as she stared in awe at him. He couldn't understand he shock, he had always been able to do this, even when he was just a wizard back in Earthland. He ignored the pang as he thought of his home. Today was the day in which he wouldn't show his pain.

He'd hold it in, tell himself it'd be alright, and eventually he may start to believe it.

He swallowed his mouthful of food, the gulp being the only sound in the room. He took another bite and chewed slowly, all the while matching the gaze of the blonde mechanic. He cursed his heart as he remembered how much he had missed her. Even now, he wanted to extend his hand forward and run it through her hair. He wondered how soft it was, and how it smelled. He shook his head as he felt his hand lifting, as if against his permission and extending towards her. He stared at the traitorous limb as it seemed to have a mind of it's own. He sighed quietly and admitted that he wanted this to happen. Amanda was staring at his hand warily, but didn't dare flinch away. They both seemed to waatch with baited breath as Natsu's hand finally rested on her head. His fingers ran through her hair gently, and he couldn't stop the small flutter in his chest. It was softer than he thought, and it tickled the callouses on his hand as he ran his hand through the blonde tresses.

Amanda was confused. She had not pictured this happening at all when she had followed him out to the kitchen. She was shocked to watch him eating raw steak, but even more so when he lifted his hand and began to play with her hair. She couldn't deny how nice it felt, that being the main reason she hadn't said anything, but it still didn't change the topic. She was still mad at him, and he was still mad at her, she thought. With his attitude now, she just couldn't be sure.

They stayed in that position for nearly five minutes, with Natsu gently running his hands through her hair, and Amanda standing still with her eyes closed. She let out small sighs occasionally when he'd find a certain spot, and he couldn't seeme to snap himself out of his action. He knew he was angry. Or was he? He couldn't even say for certain anymore. All he knew was that right here, in this moment, he was doing something that he wanted, and it made him feel right. He reluctantly pulled his hand away from her head, feeling a bit of pride in his chest when she let out a slightly disappointed moan. He nearly felt like lunging forward and kissing her when she opened her eyes and stared at him. He shook his head as he remembered everything that led up to this moment. She was taken, and it wasn't by him. What he had done just now had to have crossed some sort of line, and Natsu may have been many things, but he wasn't a man to steal someone else's girlfriend from them. He didn't know Jack, but he could only assume that he was decent if Amanda had picked him, and he had no intention of getting in the way of that. He was only a guest to this universe, and would be leaving one day.

He had to keep reminding himself of that.

He pulled away from her and stepped around, tossing the small chunk of raw meat in to the trash as he walked towards the bathroom. He heard Amanda following after him, but stopped at the entrance of the bathroom, preventing him from closing the door. He raised an eyebrow at the blonde that seemed to be fighting what she wanted to say. He watched with a small amount of amusement as she shook her head and lightly slapped herself before looking up and meeting his gaze.

"I don't know what that was, but I won't tell Jack about it." Natsu let out a loud chuckle before lowering down the the blonde's eye level and speaking.

"Why? What could the mechanic do against me? Is he stronger than Zavala? Cayde? Ikora?" Amanda shook her head and Natsu spoke again. "Then there's no reason for me to be afraid of him. I don't care about what he thinks of me, and won't hesitate to show him why Zavala gives me as much freedom as he does. There are very few things for me here in the Vanguard, and Zavala knows this. It's why he let me have that fight. This isn't my war, and I've already played most of my part here. I've payed back what I owe to the Vanguard, and now I'm just racking up their bill. The Speaker owes me for scratching his back, and I intend to cash in on it to go home. One day, I'm just going to leave this place, and the sooner I do so, the better. I've overstayed my welcome, and I've only come to face regrets since my return."

The slap that followed echoed through the apartment. Natsu rubbed his cheek slowly as Amanda stared at him, tears trailing down her cheeks.

"So that's what I am? Just another regret to you? I'm sorry that you regret ever meeting me. I'll leave you now. No sense in staying where I'm not welcome." And with those words, she stormed out of the bathroom. Natsu winced when he heard the door to her room slam shut. He didn't even need his advanced sense of hearing to hear the sobs that came from her room. He cursed as he turned on the shower and climbed in. He lost track of how long he sat in there, but when he finally had his thoughts in order enough to think clearly, the water was freezing cold. He turned off the faucet and climbed out, changing in to a simple pair of grey sweats that he kept with Specter. He gently held the Ghost in one hand before speaking.

"I kinda fucked up, eh buddy?"

"Affirmative, Natsu. Would you like a recommendation on how to proceed?" Natsu chuckled.

"You're even less in tune with emotions than I am. Nah, I think I'm going to try to handle this one. Go ahead to my room for the rest of the night. I'm going to try and make things semi right, and then if that fails, go get piss drunk and crash in the barracks." Specter chirped and headed in to Natsu's room. Natsu walked down the hallway and stood in front of Amanda's door. He gently knocked and waited for a bit before knocking a second time.

"Go away!" Her voice was dry and stressed. She must've been crying for a while. Natsu felt a bit of guilt in himself before knocking again. He recieved the same response. They did this back and forth for nearly ten minutes before she stopped responding to Natsu's knocking. He took that as a sign that she'd given up on fighting him. He opened the door slowly, only to see the sheer darkness of her room. He opened the door a bit more, and soon was able to see her form under the blankets. She lie facing the wall away from him. He could hear her breathing as it gently shuddered, likely her trying to feign sleep, but failing as she would occasionally hiccup. He walked over and sat down on the chair next to her bed. He looked over at the clock.

2215

He ran a hand through his hair as he realized the time. He had been in the shower for nearly four hours. He raised a hand up and set it on her shoulder. He felt her tense, but she didn't speak at all, and soon he felt her relax after he channeled a bit of heat to his hand. He gently rubbed up and down her arm as he continued to apply heat. Her shuddering breaths slowly eased and the hiccups stopped. They sat in silence for some time before Natsu decided to speak.

"I don't regret you. I don't think I ever could. I have so many regrets. I regret the people I never got to say goodbye to. I regret the fighting I did to get me the job that got me sent here. I regret that I sometimes can't remember the names or faces of people who I had considered friends back where I'm from. Every day I'm here, I feel like I lose a part of the old me. It frightens me that I'm changing so much, and losing so much ground at every turn. But even through all of these events, you are the one thing I could never regret. I regret that I never got a chance to have you. I've fought so many battles, but every loss I've suffered since Igneel was after I had fought with everthing I had in me. I'm not sure how to feel about losing you without even getting a chance to fight for you. I'm not angry at you, but my chest hurts. I need to be angry, but I can't stand that this is causing you this kind of pain. It's not your fault I've been gone, and I can't hold any fault to you for moving on, but I just don't know what to do with myself." His throat felt raw, and he had to blink away his tears. "I had these plans for the time I was here, but I can't even dare to try and pull you in to them here. We're two different people from two different universes, I know this, but it doesn't stop the ache in my chest when I think about you. I shouldn't feel the way I do for you, but damn it all if I do anyway..." He trailed off, unsure on how to proceed. Amanda hadn't moved since he began to speak, and he hadn't felt this small since Igneel had left him alone. He felt so confused, and couldn't even begin to process all of the emotions running through his chest. He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a hand grab on to his gently. He looked from the grasp to the tear stained face of Amanda. She had a small smile on her face as she sat up in her bed, and faced Natsu. He was confused when she brought both of her hands up and grapsed his face before bringing her face forward.

Natsu felt like a pleasant fire was flowing through his veins when his lips met Amanda's. The kiss was slow and gentle, but it also served to awaken a hunger in Natsu that he wasn't sure he liked. His tongue gently swiped against her lips, and he felt the hunger grow when her tongue darted out and met his own. He wasn't sure who had increased the pace after that, but he didn't exactly care. The passion he felt when he held her close as their lips continued to mesh, tongues colliding, was stronger than any alcohol he had ever come across. He broke the kiss with her when she climbed up on to his lap to place kisses and nips against her neck. She let out small pants and mewls as she fisted his hair and ground her hips against his, causing the sweetest friction he had ever known. He broke his contact with her neck before gently pushing he away. She looked at him in a dazed confusion before he spoke.

"Jack..."

Amanda felt her heart sink when she realized what she had just done. She hadn't meant for it to go that far. She had kissed him initially as a form of apology or goodbye, but once she felt his warmth and the spark from kissing him, she couldn't stop herlsef from wanting more. She sat back down on the bed, her face now stained a dark crimson as she looked over to Natsu. He seemed to be relativley okay, but the blush on his cheeks and the erection she could see in his sweats told her that he wasn't fairing much better. She had to commend him for his control, and the fact that he was able to stop when she still didn't want to. She felt shock at the realization. If he wanted to keep going, she was going to welcome him with open arms, and legs, and completely disregard the fact that she was in a relationship. She looked over to Natsu before taking a few deep breaths, not missing how Natsu's eyes found her breasts and his eyes clouded slightly. She looked down before squeaking and bringing her blanket over her as she saw the erect buds poking through the fabric of her shirt. She cursed that he seemed to have this effect on her with just one kiss.

Natsu chuckled before standing up, not showing any shame as the erection in his pants put itself on proud display. He moved to the doorway of her bedroom before speaking. "I won't tell Jack about any of this. We'll pretend it didn't happen. I just wanted to let you know how I feel. Get some rest, and we'll talk some more tomorrow. Goodnight, Amanda."

Amanda cursed as she felt a shiver pass through her at the way he said her name. Something about his tone, or perhaps the way he seemed to purr it, and it had her insides rolling. She lie back down in her bed as she pulled the blankets around her and squashed a pillow over her face before shouting her frustration in to it. He knew what he was doing to her now, and how to get to her. She knew that he knew, and he knew that she knew that he knew. She cursed loudly, her accent slurring the curse as she stood up.

She needed to change in to something a bit cleaner now.

* * *

Natsu awoke the next morning with a huge grin on his face. He had dreamt the entire night of his encounter with Amanda, only Jack didn't exist in his dream and he had no reason to stop. He could still taste her on his lips, and his ears rang of her moans and pants for him, begging him to go harder and faster, and screaming his name in release. He felt the perverted grin on his face grow as he could vividly recall the pleasant dream. He looked down and couldn't stop the small curse from tearing from his lips as he caught sight of the erection that all of the dreams had brought him. He stood from his bed and stretched, sighing happily as his back cracked loudly. He walked out of the room and in to the bathroom. He didn't bother knocking, having not had a room mate in years and having forgotten that he once again had one. He was greeted to the sight of the woman who caused his great dreams and morning discomfort stepping out of the shower, as naked as the day she was born. Natsu felt his mouth go dry as she made eye contact with him before yelling and jumping back in to the shower, using the curtain to hide herself from him. Her head poked out and she glared daggers at him.

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to fucking leave so I can get dressed?!" Natsu looked at her before shrugging.

"I'm honestly cursing myself now." He looked at Amanda who raised a single eyebrow at him before speaking.

"Why's that?"

Natsu looked her in the eye before giving off a devilish grin. "I'm cursing myself because you look so much better than you did in my dreams last night. Feel like I didn't do you proper justice... Amanda." He chuckled and quickly ducked out of the room as the blonde turned a glowing red and began to sputter before cursing loudly and throwing a bar of soap at the door. Natsu heard it bounce off the door right as he closed it. He giggled down the hallway as he heard the thick southern accent bouncing insults through the entire apartment. He closed the door to his room and locked it, and not five minutes later, the angry blonde was pounding on it to kill him. He braced himself against the door as the cursing continued. He laughed like a madman for the entirety of it. She hurled insults at him for nearly twenty minutes before giving up and stating that she needed to go talk to Ikora to get her back in service in the hanger. He yelled out how he'd meet her there to show her his new ship as she walked out the door. He heard it shut before looking over to Specter, who had been hiding on his perch, and decided to speak.

"Come on, let's get a move on. Do I have any clothes in your inventory that are clean?" His question was answered as his form was encompassed in light before it broke away to reveal his attire. A simple pair of black cargo pants and dark grey long sleeved shirt. He pulled on a pair of socks and boots before heading out of the room, checking to make sure the blonde was actually gone, before walking out of the apartment, making sure to lock the door behind him. He walked down the pathway slowly towards the common area. He was slightly startled to all of the nods or congratulations that he recieved on his way. He hadn't thought that many people had seen his match, but had to suppose that word had spread quickly. He shook hands with several people and even signed a few autographs before finally making his way down to the Vanguard section. He recieved a heavy pat on the back from Shaax as he passed by towards the Vanguard masters. He entered the room, only to notice that it was empty. He shrugged before turning around and walking out, figuring that he may as well stop by the hangar to clean up his ship and get it ready for his next mission. He jogged towards the hangar, nodding at the few people who waved to him, and entered through the gate. He looked over when he heard his name being called to see Zavala and Amanda standing together and staring at him. He sheepishly waved to them before slowly walking over to the two, noticing that both of them were staring at him somewhat strangely.

"What?" His question was genuine, even if the tone sounded annoyed. They both looked away and responded quick negatives. Natsu narrowed his eyes suspiciously before shrugging it off and looking towards Amanda. "Do you think you can bring up Kabr's Epilogue for me? I'd like to clean it up a bit more as well as load up the cargo bay with the standard Vanguard survival kit." Amanda nodded before pushing several buttons on her tablet. Natsu looked around while she did that, before noticing something.

"Where's Jack?" As much as he didn't want to see the guy, he understood the need for the mechanical crew and how few days off any of them took. Amanda looked around before shrugging and looking at some information on her tablet.

"Seems as if he is a no show today. Probably got drunk last night or something and decided to sleep it off. Wish he would've called in to let the Vanguard know. If Ikora hadn't given me approval for my return to duty, then the hangar would only have four other human mechanics. They'd get by fine, but it's still unnecessary stress on them, and he knows how I hate that." The tone she spoke in showed her care for her job and the people she worked with. Natsu chuckled at her anger before speaking.

"Doesn't bug me much that I don't gotta see him. Just figured he'd be somewhere nearby. Ah well." His speech was interrupted when his ship emerged from the lift, except for one issue.

It was his Vanguard ship, not the one that Kabr had given him.

Natsu scratched his head as he looked over to Amanda, who stared at the ship in confusion.

"That's my ship, but not the ship I wanted brought up. What gives Amanda?"

She shrugged before responding. "That was the ship that was brought up. I typed in your information and selected Kabr's Epilogue," She showed him the tablet which confirmed her statement. "But for some reason this one came up. Maybe it's an issue with the identification system. Let me get a look at the ships control board real quick..." She began to walk towards the ship, the tablet still in her hand as she ordered several work droids to run a diagnostic on the ship. Natsu was startled when Specter appeared in front of him and began to chirp loudly. He looked to the Ghost before looking over to Zavala, whose Ghost started to do the same thing. They both chirped loudly one last time before making the same declaration.

"DARKNESS ZONE DETECTED!"

Natsu looked over to Amanda, who was nearly 50 feet away from his ship. His mind suddenly put the pieces together as he opened his mouth to yell out to her, only to fly backwards as his ship suddenly exploded. He felt his back impact the wall, and several of his bones fracture as several other things impacted against him. His vision blurred for several moments, his ears ringing, before he heard the sirens blaring all over the hangar. He felt the water from the fire supression sprinklers hit his face, snapping him from his stupor. He leapt to his feet quickly, his whole body screaming in protest as he began to limp towards the wreckage of his ship, intent on finding the blonde mechanic. He looked all around, spotting Zavala shakily rise to his feet and vomit blood to the ground before slumping to his knees. He heard people shouting, smelled the burning chemicals and fuels, and felt the heat from several fires that had encompassed several other ships. He continued to hobble his way towards his ship. He caught sight of a shock of blonde hair under a large chunk of debris, and turned his attention to the figure immediately.

He felt his blood run cold as he took in Amanda's condition. She was beat up pretty badly, with both of her eyes having been blackened and her nose broken. Blood poured from her mouth and ears as she lie under the wreckage. Natsu collapsed to his knees, ignoring the screaming pain in his back as he took in the condition of the woman. He felt for a pulse, and thanked whatever god this world had that he could feel it, and checked to make sure she was still breathing. He held his ear over her mouth, picking up shallow and uneven breaths coming from her. She was unconcious, and more than likely concussed, but she was alive. He stood up and moved to the debris that had her pinned. He summoned every ounce of strength he had to lift the large chunk of metal from her, and it took nearly a full minute for him to move it the few feet to get it off of her, but felt his heart sink when he took in her unobstructed appearance.

Everything on her right leg, just above the knee, was completely gone.

He knelt down at her side as he checked for other wounds, Specter also scanning her and listing the injuries it could find.

"Concussion, fracted ribs, broken sternum, internal bleeding, a punctured lung, and organ damage. All can be treated with immediate medical attention. You will need to stop the bleeding, as her chances of survival are dropping nearly fifteen percent for every five seconds that she continues to bleed..."

Natsu nodded dumbly before raising his hand up, and watching the flames emerge from his wrist and coat his entire hand. He gently lifted the tattered cloth of Amanda's pant leg up before slamming his palm over the stump where her leg once was. Natsu felt her shoot up before her hand gripped his shirt and a scream tore it's way from her throat and she fell over, unconscious. Natsu felt tears streaming down his cheeks as he held her in his lap, mumbling apologies and rocking her back and forth.

He stayed like that until help arrived.

Natsu wasn't aware of the world around him until he felt a sharp pain tear from his back. He screamed out before looking to the culprit, noticing Cayde standing there with a jagged shard of metal in his hand that was covered in blood. Natsu grunted before nodding to the Exo, figuring that he'd helped hi in some way, likely having removed that from his back. Natsu sat down on a crate as several medics ran to him and began to diagnose and treat several of his wounds. He leaned back and sighed as he took in the sight of the hangar. There were chunks of flaming metal everywhere, as well as three other ships under maintenance having been ignited in the explosion. He looked over to Cayde, who could only shrug.

"I dunno either, Natsu. We did find this in the wreckage though." Natsu looked over to see a Hive rune. It was cracked, rendering it useless, but it was likely what was draining the Light in the area. "Do you think this was Dredgen? Giving you only last goodbye maybe?" Cayde seemed as confused as Natsu. Natsu shook his head before responding.

"Dredgen was a murderer, but he practically worshipped the Hive. He wouldn't dare disturb any of their ruins, and to steal from them would be an ultimate sin. He empathized with them, and wanted nothing more than to be one of them in an effort to combat the Darkness. This rune is..." He took the rune from Cayde and examined it. "This rune is old. Like REALLY old. It's older than Crota. Must be one of Oryx's first command runes." He tossed it back to Cayde. Something that old wasn't just lying around on the Moon. It must have been taken from somewhere on the Moon and hidden. Dredgen never would have parted with something like that, suicidal or not. "Besides, I cleared everything out of that ship when I got Kabr's ship. He didn't do this, but someone went through the effort of trying to stage him. Question is, who?"

Cayde pat Natsu on the shoulder before speaking. "Rest now, kid. Let us start getting everything together, and we'll bring you in when it's time. Get some rest, and keep an eye on your friend. She's gonna need a lot of support in the near future." Natsu nodded as he followed a medic on to the shuttle that would take him to the same treatment center as Amanda. He'd allow himself treatment after he was positive that she was stable, something he made sure to notify every medic that spoke to him.

* * *

The following weeks were some of the most difficult for Natsu. His treatment for his wounds was Ikora blowing his head off when the Darkness was confirmed as gone from the Tower. He hadn't much enjoyed dying, again, but it had cleared all of his wounds and scars from the last few days. But that hadn't been his biggest difficulty.

His biggest difficulty had been Amanda.

She had been comatose for nearly a week, and had awoken to find her leg missing. She wasn't happy about that, but Natsu and Jack had seemed to take turns on keeping by her bedside, both doing what they could to cheer her up. It had been working as well as it could have, until the day that Zavala decided to stop by.

"You are being dismissed from duty for the foreseeable future." His voice held no emotion, but Natsu could see the stress in his pressed lips and the sorrow in his eyes. Amanda looked like she was about to scream, but she couldn't seem to form a breath. Natsu walked over and gently pat her on the back.

"Why? If this is about my leg, we can get a prosthetic!"

Zavala shook his head before holding out a tablet. Natsu took it before reading the information on it. He raised his brow in confusion before looking to Zavala.

"This can't be right, Zavala. She didn't do this and we both know it. These records have obviously been tampered!" He tossed the tablet to Zavala, who deftly caught it. Amanda looked between the two of them before asking her question.

"What are you talking about?" Zavala looked away, but Natsu answered before the other titan could.

"Your name was the last one on record to do maintenance on the ship after my return from the Crucible round. Your accounts have also showed a transfer of credits from three of the guardians that I fought. It looks like you were the one to plant the bomb in my ship and try and kill me..." Amanda's face turned white at the implications. Zavala cleared his throat before speaking again.

"That... Isn't the only reason for your dismissal. Even with our best technology, we would only be able to give you limited mobility with a prosthetic limb. It would not be enough for you to properly work in the hangars anymore. I know this attempt to frame you is just that, an attempt, but we must follow protocal. You will be suspended until we conclude our investigation. After that, we can see to having you transfered to the cryptarch division, or working with records." He didn't get a chance to proceed before a tray flew by his head and impacted the wall. Amanda sat, arm extended, with tears trailing down her cheeks.

"Get out."

Zavala nodded and bowed out of the room, making his retreat, leaving her to silently cry whil Natsu rubbed her shoulder.

"I'm not going to let them do this to you. We'll find a way to get you back in to the hangar..." When she didn't respond, Natsu quietly stood from his seat and moved towards the door. Amanda merely lie back down in the bed and close her eyes.

It did nothing to stop her tears.

Natsu exited the room and walked slowly down the hallway. He had nearly made it to the elevators when an arm pulled him in to the stairwell. He stumbled in to the corridor, nearly flying down the stairs, before catching himself and looking to the culprit. He raised an eyebrow in seeing Cayde leaning against a wall. He righted himself before leaning against the wall next to the Exo.

"Unfortunate thing, what happened to her."

"Yeah..."

"And for someone to try and frame her as well... Pretty brutal..."

"Get to the point Cayde!" Natsu felt his patience run out at the nonchalance of the Exo in front of him. Cayde pushed himself from the wall and faced Natsu.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Natsu. I think I know of a way to get her a perfect prosthetic."

"How?" Natsu felt the hope blooming in his chest at the thought of helping Amanda return to what she loved.

"Clovis Bray?"

"What?"

Cayde smacked Natsu upside the head, ignoring his angered squawk.

"Clovis Bray. They were a research and weapons developement lab on Mars. Then the Collapse happened, and it just suddenly vanished. It's not gone though, my scouting reports are showing signs that it is still standing, just sealed. We may be able to find their medical research data on prosthetics. I'm sure they have it there somewhere."

"And why would you think that? It sounds a little far fetched if you ask me." Natsu crossed his arms over his chest, ignoring the glare that Cayde shot him.

"I say that, because Clovis Bray made me what I am. I used to be human too, you know. I can't remember the details, but I know that Clovis Bray is what turned me from human to Exo. If they have the tech for that, than they'll surely have the tech to get our favourite mechanic up and kicking butt again."

Natsu felt the grin on his face grow. It sounded like a safe bet that the company that was complex enough to make Exos would have good prosthesis technology. He nodded to Cayde.

"When do we leave?" Cayde shook his head, much to Natsu's confusiuon, before responding to him.

"WE aren't going anywhere. I'm stuck here while the investigation pans out. YOU, on the other hand, have no such restrictions. I'll give you some BS assignment for scouting on Mars. You go find the labs, have your Ghost extract everything it can, and get out. The Cabal have taken over Mars, and are in the process of fortifying it. You shouldn't be facing any while you're there, but I'd like this played safe. The thrashed the Sunbreakers, and they could be considered the most powerful offensive force of the guardians. Check in with Zavala in an hour, and we'll go from there."

Natsu nodded before jogging to Amanda's room, intent on saying goodbye. He threw open her door, shocking the crippled blonde, before launching himself at her in a dive. She screamed as he dived in to the bed with her, jostling her around and reminding her of several very sore areas. She sat up when he stopped flailing around and smacked him upside the head. He pouted at her lightly before she began to yell at him.

"What the hell are you doing Natsu?! Can't you see I'm injured here? You dont just go jumping in to injured people's beds, you stupid asshole!"

Natsu chuckled sheepishly before grabbing Amanda by her face and bringing her in to his chest. They lie there in silence for several moments, one in joy and the other in shock, before Natsu pulled her head away and spoke.

"I just got a mission to Mars. I can't tell you what it is, but I think it'll solve most of your problems. Be good and don't stay up too late. Eat your vegetables and brush your teeth!" She smacked him again before he leaned forward and planted a kiss to her forehead. She stopped fighting after that, and stayed completely still, enjoying the small act of comfort from him. He pulled himself away and stared in to her eyes before speaking again.

"I'll be back as soon as I can be. Things will get better when I get back, and I'll kick that grumpy blue bastard all up and down this Tower before I let him fire you. After all, who's going to work on my ships if it isn't MY mechanic. Take care, Amanda, and I'll see you soon. Promise." And like that he was gone. Amanda stared at the door for several minutes, a blush lighting her face, before lieing back down in her bed. She couldn't stop the small smile on her face, and could only be thankful that Jack wasn't there to see the affect that Natsu had on her.

* * *

Natsu stood in the hangar, Kabr's Epilogue glinting with promise in the rising sun. His new armour had been a pleasant gift from Shaax, 'Holdfast' is what he had called it. It matched the Crucible Handler's armour, with the exception of the helmet having no horn and the colours being a dark grey. His shipment of Hakke weapons had arrived as well, and Natsu had to admit that the craftsmanship in the firearms presented to him was stunning. He held the orange and blue pulse rifle in front of him as he inspected the weapon. It had good balance, and the grip felt comfortable, not to mention that the weapon was staggeringly light. He had just phased his weapon to his inventory when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. He turned to the sight of Zavala, standing with his hands clasped behind his back.

"So, you're heading out on this 'Scouting Mission' for Cayde?"

"Yep."

"And the location is awefully close to the Clovis Bray facility..."

"Is it? Hmm... Guess I never noticed that."

"Cut the crap, Natsu. I know why you're going there." He came forward and clasped a hand to his shoulder. Natsu turned to Zavala before shrugging his hand from his shoulder.

"If you know why I'm going, then you should know why you won't stop me. How's the investigation coming anyway?"

Zavala sighed. "It's coming along. We have the members of New Monarchy who tranferred the money. They claim to be set up, but our files and video data suggests otherwise. We know they paid off someone in the mechanic division to plant that bomb and falsify the records. We're narrowing it down, but we keep hitting roadblocks left and right. Should be concluded by the time you get back from your 'Scouting Expedition'."

Natsu hummed before facing Zavala fully and stared in to his eyes. "That's good work you guys are doing. When the investigation is done, I would like a copy of the results and the people responsible."

"Natsu," Zavala spoke seriously. "I know what you're thinking of doing. Don't. Nothing good will come from you killing these people. It will only result in you being labeled as a criminal yourself, and if that happens I will have to bring you down." He tensed when Natsu began to chuckle ominously.

"Do you really think you can kill me Zavala? I'm not even talking skill wise. I mean that the amount of people who saw me in the right may not be too high, but those people who do see me as right are in all the right places. Someone I hold very dear was injured, and we both know what the only way I WON'T kill them, is if they're mercifully killed before I get to them. The choice is yours, Zavala, try and hide them from me and watch me hunt them mercilessly, or kill them quickly and with mercy. Those guardians of the New Monarchy are already dead, at least as far as you should be concerned, and my Thorn will feast on their Light."

"I told you to take that gun-"

"And never use it against a guardian. I won't. I'm merely using it to punish cowards and people who tried to murder someone I love. The fact that they were once guardians will not matter, as I'm sure the Speaker will have no issue with me killing the traitors. He is your boss, and I will consult with him before moving forward, if that will get you off my case for now. But understand Zavala, I'm not the one who started this, but I will be the one to finish it." Natsu turned away from Zavala and climbed in to his ship before the titan could argue any further. He sat in his seat as the canopy shut over his head. He flipped the switches to start his engines and punched in the coordinates. The engines roared to life and the ship climbed off the ground and shot in to the sky, leaving behind a worried titan commander.

* * *

Zavala kicked a toolbox in sheer anger after he lost sight of Natsu's ship on the horizon. That hadn't gone how he had wnated at all. He had wanted to wish Natsu luck, but after hearing of the guardian's plans for the perpetrators of the bombing in the hangar, he felt his chest knot in worry. Not because he felt worried for Natsu, but because he knew that nobody, aside from all of Vanguard High Command, would be able to stop him. He knew that wouldn't happen, as Cayde would obviously side with Natsu, and Ikora had a skewed sense of justice from her time as a scout and freelancer in the reef. Shaax would also side with the pink haired man, his Crucible performance had impressed the man in to a ravenous frenzy. All that Zavala could hope for was the Speaker and the man's cold sense of logic. Zavala sighed before turning, nearly stumbling back as he came face to face with Cayde.

"You just won't stop getting in your own way, will you?"

"What are you talking about Cayde? Are you suggesting that I let him just kill four people and not face repercussions?"

"No. He's already faced his repercussions."

"And what were they?" Zavala asked sarcastically. Cayde was surprisingly sober, much to the titan's shock.

"Getting sold by the man he trusted to strangers. Then getting pulled in to being the apprentice of one of the most evil humans to ever exist. Then losing the chance at love he had because, again, you sold him for a favor. I'd say you owe him this. Especially considering just who was injured."

"I can't let it happen, no matter who or why it happened. Murder is murder."

"What if it was for the Queen?" Cayde asked quietly. Zavala clenched his jaw to keep from throwing his arms out like a child. "I remember back when you served for a force other than the Vanguard. You served your Queen faithfully, some would say you even-"

"Enough, Cayde..." Zavala almost pleaded to the hunter Exo, but the man seemed to ignore the titan.

"Some would say you loved her. We both know how far you went for her, and that you leaving was the hardest thing to do. I know that all Awoken are connected somehow, and to be severed from that connection is like losing a limb. I wonder if that's how Amanda feels in her bed right-"

"ENOUGH!" Zavala was panting, sweat pouring down his face as he tried to compose himself. He hadn't expected Cayde to bring up all of his demons so willingly. It shocked Zavala when he realized that Cayde did it because he was so passionate about what had happened to Natsu and Amanda. He ran a hand over his face as he stood straight and stared at the sky. He didn't acknowledge Cayde's exit with more than a small nod. They both knew that things between them would be tense for a while, but it gave Zavala what he needed.

Time to think.

* * *

Mars was what Natsu had expected when Arminius had described it to him, vast and desolate. He had trouble trying to fathom why the Traveler had decided to terraform so many of these planets if it's plan was to flee. Perhaps it did this to benefit the species in every system it visited, but Natsu couldn't try to understand why a being so immensly powerful would do something so selfless. He chalked it up to either boredom, or some sort of premonition of it's own demise. Natsu shrugged as he got the coordinates from Specter and began to head towards the ridge where he could find Clovis Bray. It'd take just under a day to reach his destination, but Natsu decided to cut the time nearly in half by running the entire way. He was glad that the atmosphere and gravity on each planet was different. He was lighter on the Moon, but on Mars, amongst the fire red sands and the blazing sun, he felt truly in his element. His eyes were wide when he finally took in the sight for the Clovis Bray facility.

Tall spires rose from the red sands, hinting towards the massive building buried below. The rose high in to the air, each spire made of jagged iron and warped steel of the man made structures. It seemes that these ruins alone were taller than any buildings he spotted in the Last City. He slowly climbed down the sand dune that led him towards the reported entrance to the building he needed. The entrance was buried under several feet of sand, something Natsu had no issue digging out, but after entering the ruins, realized his problem.

The facility was massive.

He caught sight of a directory on the wall, and could only whistle lowly at the size of all of the floors and rooms listed. He wiped the dust from the map, taking his time to run his finger over each and every one of the floors as he read their names. Finally after nearly a minute of reading and almost 30 floors, he found the floor he needed.

"Medical Technologies. Floor 36... And we are on... Floor number six..." He sighed as he began to walk over to the stairwell, intent on just following it down to the bottom. He kicked open the door and began to walk down the stairwell. He walked for what felt like hours, ignoring the odd skeleton as he walked. He had gotten pretty used to seeing death by now. He finally reached the floor that he needed and pried the doorway open. He was greeted to the sight of multiple consoles, all with small blinking lights on them. He walked over, holding out his hand as he did so. Specter appeared in his grip before Natsu let it go.

"Find me anything I need, aim for prosthetics, but see if you can get in to any of the other division files from here. It's possible they were researching the Vex, and I'd like any information they'd have on it." Specter chirped at Natsu before floating up to one of the consoles, a small blue lazer firing out and somehow extracting the data from the machine. He'd asked Specter how it did that once, but the headache that followed the explanation lasted for days. He decided to kick back and relax while Specter did it's thing.

It had been nearly three hours of silence for Natsu, leaving him time to speak to himself, or rather the two other entities that were him.

"So, I was thinking..."

"About?" His Darkness questioned slowly.

"Well you said I have to find some of these scouting Vex, like the ones that ended up in my universe?"

"Yes. You will need one of them to act as a conduit while we send the message of decline to the Collective."

"What about any of the ones I killed back home? Would we be able to use them to act as the conduit?"

The Darkness seemed to contemplate it for a moment, it's lone eye narrowing in thought. It raised it's head to lock eyes with Natsu before nodding.

"It should be possible. Once we connect to it, I can rebuild enough of it to function as a one way broadcaster. I'll fire through the negative signal and kill it right after I recieve the confirmation. I'm surprised YOU thought of this."

"Oi!" He was about to continue, but a chirp echoed through his mind. He turned to the Darkness and nodded. "Seems our time is up for now. We'll discuss this more later." He waved to the shade, who nodded before vanishing, Natsu following shortly after. His eyes snapped open to stare at the wall of the medical floor. He looked around the room to see Specter floating around near the exit of the room.

"I have everything we need, though I couldn't find much about the Vex on this database. There were hints towards a branch facility in the area known as 'The Buried City' that may have some information. Some records I could pull from before the collapse hinted towards some form of alien life that was killed after 'just appearing in a cloud of smoke and lightening'. Sound familiar?"

"That seems to be Vex, but The Buried City is at the base of the Cabal base of operations. I wonder if they know about Clovis Bray or if it's just an odd coincedence..." Natsu shook his head, deciding that dwelling on it too long would only give him a headache, before grabbing Specter and moving back up the stairwell. He took the steps two at a time as he climbed anxiously towards the surface. The sooner he made it to the surface, the sooner he could get back to Earth, and the sooner he could meet up with Amanda and give her the good news.

* * *

He arrived back the same day that he left. Not much as far as most people were concerned, but he felt it was an accomplishment. There was no combat, no crazed lunatic to kidnap him, and no disappearing. He decided that he liked these missions quite a bit. He got to go out and stretch his legs, and didn't need to be gone for longer than necessary. He would've liked to test his new Hakke weapons, but decided that it could wait until a later date. After checking in his ship and going through the newly placed security measures, he was on his was to the hospital where Amanda was.

Amanda was bored. Beyond bored. Bored couldn't accurately describe the droll that she found herself in. It had been a decent day, with Natsu keeping her company before rushing off to his mission. Her face flushed when she remembered the caring in his eyes when he stared at her, and the way he kissed her forehead before he left. She didn't understand how such a simple gesture could have her so flustered, but it seemed everything with Natsu flustered her after their kiss. She felt a small bit of shame at having kissed him but still being with Jack, but even more of her felt shame at how she wanted to do it again. She couldn't explain the urge that ran through her when she kissed him. She felt like she was surrounding herself with warmth when he kissed her, and quickly found it addicting. She had never felt that with the few boyfriends that she had ever had. She never felt that spark, that fluttering thrum in her chest that made her want to cry in joy, with anyone else.

It made her think.

She had been relatively happy with Jack. Sure, he could be an ass, and he took a bit too much to sticking his nose in the guardians' business, but he was nice. They had been dating for just over four months, and while she had enjoyed the time sh spent with him, she felt empty whenever he held her. She felt ashamed of herself when she remembered how she couldn't look at him the first few times they'd had sex. She didn't hate him or his looks, he was nice and rather handsome, but she felt a strange amount of shame when she'd lay with him. She justified that Natsu was dead or had moved on in his absence, but nothing had prepared her for his return. She half expected to hear a tale from one of the hunters of running in to him in one of the outposts in the Reef, surrounded by booze and whores, but no such thing occured. It was the lack of information on him that left her believing that he had died, and she justified moving on as something he would've wanted. She had been with several men after that, but none of those relationships lasted more than six months. She had always been the one to end the relationship, always finding some sort of fault with the men. They would be too kind, or too cold. Too flirty or too reserved. She supposed that she was just looking for a reason to leave them after finding that they couldn't rid her of the empty feeling in her chest. She sighed as she realized that she was feeling the same thing when it came to Jack.

She supposed it was time to end things between the two of them.

Amanda snapped from her daze and turned to the clock on her bedside table. '1540' was displayed in bright red numbers. She sighed as she lie back down in her bed. The medications did well to numb the pain in her leg, though she felt a strange itch that wouldn't seem to fade. It felt like someone was dragging a nail up her leg slowly, poking all of the most sensitive areas at the same time. She rubbed her eyes in stress. It wasn't possible for anything to be doing that anymore after all.

That leg was gone.

She frowned as she thought of all of the bad things that stacked on top of her already shitty month. First, she gets reunited with her not so dead flame, only to catch the first glimpse of him as he brutally murdered six people in crucible. Then she finally gets her chance to talk with him, hoping they could hash it out as adults, only for it to turn in to a shouting match. Then they argue again after he pets her hair in the kitchen, ending with her storming to her room and Natsu fleeing to the bathroom. She cried for hours, only stopping the tears when she felt him massaging her gently. She felt her heart clench when he spoke his confession to her, and thud against her ribs as she remembered the kiss they shared. Then he sees her naked the next day and runs away without letting her kick his ass just a little for the free show. Finally, to top off her month, she gets caught in an explosion and loses her leg, and subsequently her job because of that. She rubbed her hands over her eyes as she tried to figure out what she could do with herself now. She didn't want to go to the archives department, but it seemed to be the only field that would accept someone with her disability. She snapped herself out of her thoughts as she made a list of her priorities.

First of which was to dump Jack.

She didn't feel nearly as guilty as she thought she would at the prospect of ending their relationship. She looked at the clock once more before sighing in frustration. Jack was late. He usually showed up around the smae time every day to sit and talk with her, but today he seemed to be nearly three hours late. She supposed that maybe it'd be better if he just didn't show up again. It'd save her the headache of being the coldhearted bitch, and he'd get to keep his fragile pride in tact.

She was brought out of her thoughts by someone kicking the door to her room open. She shrieked as a familiar head of pink hair sprinted in to her room and jumped on her bed, the frame groaning as several hundred pounds of armoured guardian added to Amanda's weight to the bed so suddenly. She brought the blankets up to her chest before reaching a fist up and smacking Natsu upside the head, forcing him to roll out of the bed with a yelp. She peeked over the edge of the bed to see him lying on the floor, rubbing his head.

"Is that any way to treat the man who saved your life?"

"It's the way to treat the man who keeps invading my personal space. You're luckly I'm missing a leg. I can't afford to put my one foot up your ass."

"Well... you see, about that..."

"Oh god, you're not gonna tell me you like that sorta thing, are you?"

"What?! No! I meant about your leg! Gross..."

"What about my leg?" Amanda looked at him in suspicion. "I'm gonna be getting a prsthetic soon. Best the Vanguard can get me. Wish it was good enough to keep working in the hangars, but I guess I'll take what I can get..." Her tone seemed so sad, at least until Natsu sprang up to his feet and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her close to him.

"No. At least not anymore. You won't be getting one of those shitty prosthetic legs that the Vanguard makes."

"Why? Did they run out or something?"

"No. I got you something better. Had to go to Mars to do it, but I got you the blueprints for a new prosthetic leg. Real good stuff. Golden Age construction. I talked to Cayde and Ikora, and after comissioning Banshee to build it, they approved you returning to duty in the hangars. Turns out the prosthetic I found will be even better than your old leg. Stronger, anyways."

Amanda felt like her head was made of static. She couldn't believe him, wouldn't believe his words. Nobody would do something so selflessly for anybody else, and she felt that he was no different. She shrugged herself from his grasp and pushed him away. He stared at her in silent confusion before she mumbled her question.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why would you do this for me? I'm the girl who broke your heart, so why are you still so nice?" She felt the tears roll down her cheeks as she practically screamed at the man. He shrank away from her before mumbling something out. "Speak up!" She demanded of him.

"I said I did it because I like you, okay?! I can't help myself that my time away made me even fonder of you, but it did. I can't stand to see that broken look in your eyes when you found out you wouldn't be in the hangars... It was killing you, and that meant it was killing me too. After everything you did to hurt me, I can't bring myself to hate you. I have to forgive you!"

"Why?!"

"Because that's what you do when you love someone!" He shouted back at her. They both stared at the other in shock at his declaration. She broke the silence first.

"What did you say?" It was barely above a whisper, but Natsu's advanced senses picked it up easily.

"I said I love you." He stared in to her eyes. "Gods help me, but I've fallen in love with you. I don't know if it's the way you speak your mind or maybe the way you care so much but don't let it show. Maybe it's just that we both have so much in common, but I love you. Even as you lay there, mouth open and leg missing, I find myself loving you more and more. I can't help it, but I don't want to stop it either."

Amanda felt her shock lessen to a new feeling. It started in her belly and crawled it's way up her chest. She felt the emptiness leaving her as she came to terms with what Natsu said. He loved her, even crippled like she was. She felt tears run down her cheeks and a smile on her face as she held her arms open to Natsu, who slowly walked forward and wrapped his arms around her. He nestled his nose in her hair as she sobbed lightly in to his chest. She backed away from him just enough to pull his head down in to a kiss. It was sweet and innocent, but it lasted for well over a minute. They seperated when they heard someone clear their throat. They turned to see Zavala, standing in the doorway, a grave expression on his face.

"I have news on the investigation." This had Natsu's attention.

"Speak then, Blue." Amanda spoke curtly, not happy about her special moment being ruined.

"We have concluded our investigation. The guilty parties have been apprehended and are awaiting judgement from the Vanguard and the Speaker."

"Who was it?" Natsu tone was cold, causing the other two people to look at him, both noticing the temperature in the room rise several degrees. Zavala sighed before answering.

"The three guardians we had picked up from New Monarchy, as well as a mechanic."

"Which one?" Amanda asked confused. She could personally attest for most of the mechanics who worked with her. Zavala caught her attention when he held out a picutre. It was a face that Amanda was all too familiar with. Natsu snarled and stormed out of the room as Zavala spoke again.

"It seems the one who planted the bomb and Hive rune, as well as falsified documents to frame you and attempted to kill Natsu, was you boyfriend, Jack."

* * *

It's been waaay too busy of a holiday for me. Worst part of being an adult during the holidays is all the parties you get invited to and have to show up out of obligation. It sounds like I'm bitching, but when all you want to do in lay down and relax after a solid week of bustin your ass, driving an hour from one party to another to another isn't fun. And they're never close to each other, they're always clear across town and the freeway is backed up because some idiot popped a flat or something and stopped in the middle of the road. Fuckin idiot.

Anyway, as a way to apologize, I made this chapter a bit longer. And who knows, there may or may not (more than likely) be a lemon in the next chapter. I've been abnormally busy, but that seems to be slowing down now.

So until next time,

Temper


	12. Chapter 12

Light

Chapter 12

* * *

Natsu arrived to the Speaker's chamber shortly after finding out just who had tried to kill him. The man was hunched over his desk, some form of ancient text in front of him. Natsu climbed the stairs and stood behind the man as he continued to read, both of them standing in silence for nearly twenty minutes before the Speaker sighed.

"I know why you're here, Natsu."

"They tried to kill me. I want to know what their judgement is."

"For the three guardians, their punishment will be death. Even if we are under staffed right now as far as our military force goes, their actions can not be ignored. To try and kill you over something so trivial as pride is unnerving. They will be made in to an example. As for Jack... well his case is more complicated."

"I want to be the one to kill the three. I want Jack as well."

"You can have the three. New Monarchy has gone through every hoop so far to distance themselves from those guardians, including banishing them from the faction and turning over their service records. Seems to be that they acted without guidance from their faction, and New Monarchy, even as extreme as they are, would never condone putting innocent people in harm's way like what happened. They seem to be equally as appalled and have taken to footing the bill for all repairs and medical treatments, yours and Amanda's included."

"My treatment was for Ikora to kill me and have Specter revive me. I'm pretty sure she enjoyed it too. How are they expected to pay for that?" Natsu asked in confusion. The Speaker turned from his documents to face Natsu.

"And they have paid to have a new container of ammunition sent to her." There was not even a trace of humor in the man's voice, but Natsu knew he found the situation amusing. He sighed as the Speaker returned his attention to the text on his desk.

"And why can't I have Jack?" The Speaker's response was to silently open his desk and pull out a folder from his desk and hand it to Natsu. Natsu opened the folder and began to leaf through it, his eyes widening as he took in the information.

"Have you shown this to anyone else?" The Speaker walked over to Natsu and gestured him to follow. Natsu obeyed as the two descended the stairs and exited the chambers. They walked in silence, Natsu clinging tightly to the folder as they walked down the corridor and in to the common area. The walked by several guardians, all of whom silently nodded to Natsu and the Speaker, Natsu nodding back while the Speaker continued by as elegant as he was silent. They descended the stairs leading to the Vanguard, Shaxx falling in behind them as they continued towards the Vanguard chambers. The three of them entered the room, Natsu immediately meeting the tense silence as he took in the four people who seemed to be waiting for them as they entered. He made eye contact with each of the Masters, noting the tense look on Zavala's face and the clenched jaw on Ikora, each of them looking at Cayde from the corner of their gaze. Natsu then turned to the fourth member of the group, blonde hair and hospital gown doing nothing to tame the obvious fury in her eyes. They all turned their attention to the Speaker as he cleared his throat.

"I'm sure there is no question as to why you are all here. All but two of you are who make up my Vanguard council, and are gathered here to pass judgement on the final member of the bomb planted to kill guardian Dragneel. Natsu, if you would hand me the folder." Natsu moved forward and handed the folder to the Speaker, both pausing when Zavala decided to speak his mind.

"Sir, if I may speak freely?" The Speaker nodded and Zavala continued. "Natsu Dragneel has shown himself to be unstable in the last month since his return. His Crucible match, while one for the records, displayed a questionable at best mentality, and this incident has done nothing to improve my confidence in him at this moment."

"I disagree, Zavala." Cayde spoke up, uncaring to ask permission to speak. "I see guardian Dragneel as being mentally sound. He needed some stress relief to counter a heaping handful of bad news in a short time, and it just so happened that all of us, as trained soldiers who are seemingly immortal, find some stress relief in killing each other violently. He seems to be pretty sane to me."

"He expressed a guarantee to killing the perpetrators to this crime with the Thorn, a weapon of the Darkness that feasts on the Light to increase it's own strength." Zavala waved a hand to Natsu, who hadn't done more than cross his arms over his chest and return to standing next to Shaxx, the Crucible handler doing nothing more than stare at the titan and hunter as they argued. Ikora was the one to break the fued by clearing her throat, silencing both of the warriors.

"I believe that Natsu has as much right to be here as Amanda does. They are both victims in this crime, and have a right to be present for the judgement of the criminal responsible. You both need to stop acting like children so we can finish this." Both guardians went silent, with Zavala clenching his jaw and Cayde leaning back in his chair in victory. The Speaker slowly shook his head before continuing on.

"As I was saying, this folder contains information on the final criminal in this case. Jack Diaz, 24 years old, is accused of being the one to plant the bomb and rune designed to kill one Natsu Dragneel, as well as framing the mechaninc Amanda Holliday, age 21, by having the three guardians formerly of the New Monarchy transfer funds to Amanda's account and falsifying the log to implicate her guilt. He would have succeeded, had several credible witnesses not come forward to clear her name as well as her having a solid aliby. For these crimes, we find him guilty." Everyone in the room nodded at the man's words. "But the reason we're here is to bring forth new light to the man, as well as decide his punishment. We initially theorized the reason he targeted Natsu's ship as being one of either anger or jealousy, mixed with manipulation from the three guardians that Natsu had faced earlier in the Crucible. He was uncoorperative during interrogation. This theory was proven false however when Jack's record was put under further scrutiny. It turns out that he is nothing like the man described in his file."

"What do you mean?" Ikora spoke as everyone looked to one another before the Speaker set the folder on the table.

"Jack Diaz is a mechanic. This much is true, but that is about the only thing honest about him. His file states that he transferred over to Tower Three after training in the outer colonies outside of the wall. We had no way to confirm his story as Tower Three fell, and most of the records were destroyed by the New Monarchy. However, the New Monarchy turned over every file they had invloving the three guardians that were found guilty, and imagine my surprise when Jack Diaz was a known associate to all three. After interrogating the three guardians, we came to know who Jack Diaz really is." Everyone paused, the only sound being the grinding teeth of Amanda Holliday as the information began to sink in that the man she was dating wasn't the man she got to know. The Speaker began to pass the folder around, first to Ikora, who read it before passing it to Cayde.

"He didn't tranfer to Tower Three, he started at Tower Three. He falsified his documents and training to get in with the Vanguard. He passed his training and tests, we suspect bribery but all records are lost. He seems to have lied his way in to a position of power, and soon found himself as one of the assistants to the chief engineers. Tower Three then switched from Vanguard to New Monarchy control, and Jack found himself being promoted again to chief engineer of the automated defenses. We can only speculate, but we believe he was the one to shut down the automated defenses all along the Wall in the sectors around the Tower. It was around the time when Jack Diaz became directly involved with several members of the New Monarchy. Through them, he became asssociated with those three guardians. According to them, Jack was known for falsifying documents and mission records for a fee. We traced the money, and found out where he's been sending it all."

"You mean?" Ikora said, gesturing the file which had yet to reach Amanda.

"Yes. It is our belief that he has been funneling all of the money he made to someone in the Last City. We've interviewed this person, and discovered that the person he was sending the money to was a woman by the name of Emilia Diaz, his wife." The silence in the room gave way to immense tension as all parties turned their attention to Amanda. She turned her gaze towards the Speaker.

"So he has a wife?" Natsu decided to clear his throat, drawing the blonde's ire to him.

"Not just that," Natsu spoke carefully. "After interrogating Emilia as well, she was cleared of any guilt as she had no idea the crimes that Jack was comitting, it was then revealed that Emilia is six months pregnant. The reason that Jack hasn't been put to death yet is because he is the criminal father to an unborn child." Amanda finally lost it at that, though everyone had to give her credit for lasting that long.

"So this asshole was married with a fuckin kid on the way?! What kind of piece of shit does that to a girl? How hard is it to tell someone that you're married? And why the fuck are we even considering letting him live. Last time I checked, my leg was STILL missing!" She reached a hand down so that everyone could see while she ran her hand angrily over her stump. "Yup! STILL MISSING! Where's my justice?"

Zavala placed on hand on her shoulder, doing little to calm her down but succeeding in silencing her as the Speaker raised his hand for silence.

"You will recieve your justice, Amanda, but we need to be careful with how we proceed. There are some things that we absolutely can NOT have made public. We can't let them know about the three guardians that Dragneel will be putting to death. The other guardians and factions will know, but it will not be made public outside of that. The same is said for Jack. As much as we would all like to have him put down for an act of terrorism, the public already has enough mistrust in us after the fiasco on the Wall that cost us three Towers. We all know that should he be killed by our hands, his wife and unborn child would take to the media and that would force Vanguard to relieve control to one of the factions, and we know which one has the most support."

"Welp," Cayde stood from his seat and walked towards Amanda before pushing her and her wheelchair to the exit. "I think I've sat here long enough. It's obvious that there are at least three of us that aren't happy with the decision that's going to be made, so I'm taking two of us out of here. Natsu," Cayde turned to him. "Stay with Zavala. He won't say it, but he doesn't trust you anymore. I'm going to take Amanda back to the medical wing." The two locked eyes before Natsu turned to Zavala, who flinched away from his gaze.

"Looks like the Sunbreakers were right about you Zavala." Natsu spoke lowly. "Comrades don't matter to you so long as you stay on your leash. Fine, I'll stay with you, just so you make sure I don't slip away and kill the coward. You gonna follow me in to the bathroom too? You gonna hold it for me just so you can see where my hands are at all times?" Shaxx burst out in to laughter as Zavala ground his teeth in silence. Ikora rolled her eyes before motioning the Speaker to continue. The man sighed before eveeryone in the room simmered down a bit.

"With everything we've discussed today, we are ready to find a verdict. All in favor of death?" Shaxx rose his hand, and they all knew that Cayde would have voted for it as well. "And all in favor of banishment to the outer colonies of the Last City?" The Speaker rose his hand up, as did Ikora and Zavala. "Then with a vote of three to two, bansihment is the judgement passed down. You are all dismissed." The Speaker calmly picked up his floder and left the room. Ikora and Shaax left shortly after him, leaving Zavala alone with Natsu. The titan raised his glance to Natsu, who waved an arm out in front of himself.

"After you." Zavala responded by brushing by Natsu, who turned and followed after the Commander.

"Why are you following me?" His question was terse as he turned to Natsu. The man responded by crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the door frame.

"Because you don't trust me, and until he boards that ship and leaves, I am a danger to that man. We both know that if you leave me alone, or let me out of your sight, I'm going to hunt him down and tear him limb from limb. Even after he leaves though, there's no promise that I won't find him."

"Why are you doing this? He's facing his punishment!"

"He's facing YOUR punishment. Not mine. He hasn't learned what happens when you touch a dragon's hoarde." Zavala couldn't see his face through the helmet, but he was greeted to two glowing red orbs underneath the reflective glass of his visor. Zavala felt a tinge of fear as he remembered that Natsu wasn't from this universe, and the power he wielded before becoming a guardian was only amplified after his resurrection. He shook his head as he decided to calm himself before speaking again.

"Well, luckily I won't have to watch you for long. Jack should be getting loaded on to a ship as we speak, and he'll be gone in a couple of minutes." Zavala walked up the common area, Natsu close behind as they both walked over to the balcony and stared towards the Traveler.

"I know you don't like me, Natsu." The blue skinned Commander turned to Natsu. "I know you may even hate me for what I'm doing, but I need you to understand. The power that I'm given makes me a constant political target. Every decision I make is looked over with intense scrutiny. I must set a good example, both for the Vanguard and for the public. Letting him live was merciful, but the banishment will kill him. Those colonies are held together by trust, and anyone who is banished by the Vanguard to the outer colonies will never gain that trust. I've been alive for centuries, and the only thing I have to show for it is a river of blood and a broken heart. I have my trusted comrades, those who will do as I say without question, but they can be counted on one hand. Ikora and Cayde think me foolish for wanting to lead a strong example for peaceful solutions to infighting. They'd rather kill the criminal and be done with it, not caring that it means we have one less fighting body, or one less mechanic. Every person matters to me, and I just wish that people would focus on the enemy out there, and stop making enemies in here..." Zavala's tone was heavy to Natsu. It reminded him that this man had to bear the wieght of death for centuries to come as a leader. He sighed as he leaned over the rail, staring at the setting sun against the Traveler. They could both vaguely hear a ship firing up it's engines from the hangar. Natsu frowned as he thought of his words to Zavala before speaking again.

"I don't hate you Zavala. You piss me off constantly, but I don't hate you. I understand that there are insurmountable odds against you all in succeeding, but it doesn't make my pain any lesser. I'm angry that I've just been treated as an object instead of a person since I arrived in this universe. The only people to treat me differently were Kabr, and he's dead, and Amanda. Cayde is questionable in his attitude, as his motives remain largely unknown, but that's all I have to remind me that I was, and am still human. Imagine my pain and anger when the only one keeping me from being a monster is almost taken away from me. I still feel it in my chest, this burning rage. The Darkness inside of me is calling for his blood, and I can't seem to find a reason to deny it. I suppose what's done is done though, and there isn't much I can do to hurt him now." They both watched the shuttle that they knew Jack was in as it took off from the hangar.

It flew slowly away from the Tower and gently towards the Traveler, before violently exploding once it had reached a certain distance away from the Tower.

Zavala turned his gaze imeediately towards Natsu, who could only raise his hands up in front of him.

"Don't look at me like that. I've been with you, and before that I was with the Speaker. Check any of the logs and see that I haven't even been by the hangar since I got back from Mars. Not my fault I'm not the only one who wanted the bastard dead." Zavala turned away from him and began to jog towards the hangars.

"I'm going to go and begin the investigation. I'm not going to let someone just bypass the Vanguard's judgement like this!" He was about to enter the corridor that would lead him to the hangars when the Speaker walked out of the corridor and stood in front of him. Zavala stopped at seeing his leader in front of him, Natsu jogging up to speak as well.

"Did you see that explosion?" Natsu questioned first. "I'm not saying I'm not glad he's dead, but I don't want to be blamed for this. If you need help with the investigation, then just let me know and I'll-"

"That won't be necessary Natsu." The Speaker's voice was as calm as ever. Zavala was the next to speak.

"I'll begin to round up any suspects and dig through the logs to find out who did this."

"That won't be necessary either, Zavala." Both Natsu and Zavala looked to each other in confusion before turning to the Speaker. He merely stared out at the smoke cloud where the shuttle once was before turning back to the two. "As I said earlier, we must operate on the highest level of discretion. It was a terrible accident, one caused by a shuttle that HE inspected having a faulty valve. His grieving wife and child will be rewarded with his life insurance policy as well as whatever funds he had already transferred..."

Zavala seemed to bristle at the statement. "You don't honestly believe that, do you?! That was obviously-"

"THAT is what the reports will say, Commander. That is what we will tell everyone, and that is what happened. You can speculate that I had the mechanics on staff tamper with the fuel lines after Jack inspected the shuttle yesterday off the records, but it will be only that. Speculation. It is an odd coincidence that the data logs for yesterday and today are mysteriously corrupted, but after reviewing the ones recovered, I have found no threats to the Vanguard or it's property present. Just like it being an odd coincidence that I had an automated pilot instead of a human piloting the ship today, but I was merely following Jack's request to let him pilot his own vessel to the outer colonies for a routine check up. There seem to be many coincidences today, wouldn't you say Natsu?" The Speaker turned his masked gaze to Natsu, who could only gulp before nodding furiously.

"Yes sir! Way too many today. Think I may take tomorrow off and relax. Today has had me way too stressed out, what with all these accidents that keep happening..." He trailed off weakly with a chuckle. The Speaker nodded slowly before turning to Zavala.

"What about you, Zavala? Wouldn't you say that today was full of odd coincedences?" The man's tone was forceful though subtle. Zavala slowly nodded his head before looking between Natsu and the Speaker.

"Yes. Coincidences. All of them, though I suppose I'm glad they're over. It is a shame that Jack had to die on his way to doing his routine maintenance. Heard he was happily married and had a kid on the way. Luckily the Vanguard takes care of it's own, and his family will be well off from here on out." Zavala nodded slowly before walking back to the Vanguard chambers. The Speaker turned to Natsu after Zavala was out of earshot.

"The New Monarchy would like a private meeting with the both of us. If you would please follow me, we can be on our way..." Natsu nodded as the two began their walk towards the meeting area.

* * *

The room was dark, the only source of light being a dim bulb swaying gently. It illuminated the small concrete room just enough to illuminate the six figures. Three stood standing while the other three were stuck in a kneeling position, their arms chained to the ground. Natsu looked over to the Speaker, before the third man cleared his throat. Natsu turned to Executor Hideo, the man standing in his robes as elegantly as the day when Natsu had challenged New Monarchy.

"We present these three banished guardians for your judgement in efforts to appease the already strained relations between the Vanguard and New Monarchy. May the judgement you pass on them appease your anger in some way..." He took a step back before bowing lowly to Natsu and moving to stand next to the doorway with the Speaker. Natsu called Specter forward, it's lone yellow eye glowing in the dark room.

"Thorn." Natsu held his hand out. Specter didn't speak at all, and the only sign that it heard Natsu being the terrible handcannon appearing in his grasp. He cocked the hammer back as he stood behind the first guardian. There was no sound in the room as Natsu pressed the Thorn against the back of the first guardian's head.

He didn't hesitate to pull the trigger.

* * *

The following month was much easier on Natsu then his first month back had been. Amanda had gotten her new leg, and had adjusted to it flawlessly. She was soon to be cleared for her return to duty, and couldn't be happier. Natsu felt as if his mentality had stabilized greatly since his stress inducers had been greatly limited. The New Monarchy had backed off of the Vanguard, leaving them more room for error, not that Zavala would admit that he wasn't being stressed to begin with. Natsu's relations with the Vanguard had improved greatly, with Cayde requesting him for more and more scouting missions, none of which kept him away for more than a few days. The relationship between him and Amanda had progressed slowly, but that could be attributed more to their busy schedules than their personal feelings. Natsu found himself enjoying one of his first days off in nearly three weeks by sitting down on the couch with no shirt on, watching TV. In his hands was the warlock bond that the Speaker had given him. He had been toying with it for the last few days, trying his best to replicate the tattoo he had on his arm so that it would project digitally on to his arm over his armour. He watched as the Fairy Tail logo projected up in a deep purple colour. He concentrated on the emblem while channeling his Light in to the device, watching the colour become slightly more red in colour until it finally matched the colour of his tattoo. He cheered mentally as he pressed several buttons and locked in the design and colour. He held the device out to Specter, who was perched under his helmet on the table. The Ghost peered through his visor before the band faded from his hand in particles of light as it was stored in his inventory. He leaned back in the seat as he continued to watch the mindless show on TV. He was brought out of his self induced stupor when Amanda came through the front door.

"Why the fuck do you keep leaving your armour all over the living room?"

"Missed you too!" He yelled after her as she stomped off to her room, her metallic leg clicking slightly as the joints moved. He had to admore just how advanced her leg was when the doctors broke down everything there was to it. A synthetic femur to filter her blood in her thigh, carbon ligaments fused to her previously used ligaments. These were covered with some kind of artificial muscles, encased in lightweight polymer plates, all surrounded by a steel casing to be worn while working. It was expected that the rest of her body would fail before that leg would. Natsu whistled the first time he saw it all finished on her. He had heard of how impressive Golden Age technologies were, but to actually see a piece of it was impressive.

Amanda had been strong for all of it too.

He knew from the doctors that she would be in pain initially. Having a new bone did that to someone, but he didn't see her cry once. He saw her curse plenty as she learned how to walk, and scare the hell out of a nurse when the woman suggested she use a cane, but never once did she cry. He had to admit that he admired that strength about her. He was brought out of his musings when the blonde of his mind walked in the room, tossing the armour on couch over, and plopping down right next to him.

"What are we watching?"

"I dunno."

"How do you not know? You picked what you're watching, and I'm sure you've been sitting here for hours." She looked at him as he stared at the screen blankly.

"Dunno. Just turned it on and got lost in my mind." He answered.

"Oh? And what's got you so lost in that big empty head of yours?"

"For your information," He responded as he turned to her. "My headspace is rather cramped. But if you must know, my thoughts were focused on you."

"Shut up!" He grinned as she began to blush and turned away from him. He crawled across the couch and wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her neck.

"Why? I like when you blush. I think it's cute." He inhaled her scent as he nibbled lightly against her ear. She moaned lowly as she ran a hand through his hair. She pushed his head back as she propped her metal leg up on the table.

"Help a lady unbuckle her leg, would ya?" Natsu chuckled as he ran his hand down her leg, enjoying the small shiver she gave when he brushed against the inside of her thigh while he caressed down her natural leg on to the steel, his fingers eventually resting over a buckle on the side of the knee cap. He flipped it, the corregated chunk of steel that covered her polymer knee thunking loudly to the floor. She sighed as his other hand gently massaged her leg while he found purchase on the laces of the boot she used to cover her artificial shin and foot. The laces came undone and he slipped the boot from her foot. He moved over, sitting on the coffee table while he unbuckled the shin cover, the two plates of steel falling away to the floor as well. He looked down to the final piece of protective steel over her foot. He found the three buckles on the side of the foot and unclasped them all. He opened the cunk of steel to reveal the polymer foot underneath, making sure to set the steel on the floor with the rest of her protective work plating. He placed her metal leg back down as he pulled he other leg in to his lap and undoing the laces on the boot.

"Now look who's leaving their armour all over the living room?" He taunted as he removed her boot and began to massage her foot.

"Shut up!" She half moaned as he channeled warmth to his hands and continued to massage her foot. "It's not like I have a choice on where I can leave all this clunky shit. I swear this leg is so ugly when I really look at it." She let her head lull back as Natsu pulled her sock off and began to massage up her calf.

"I disagree." He spoke in a low tone as he planted a small kiss on the bottom of her foot, his hands sliding up her leg further as the massage continued. "I think it adds to your beauty. Makes you look even more real to me. Reminds me of how strong you are and how willing you are to survive." She responded by lightly placing her foot against his chest and pushing him back. He complied, though the smirk on his face made her blush. She stood up and began to walk towards her bedroom, stopping at the entrance of the hallway to look at him over her shoulder.

"You coming? I have a lot of tension that I'm going to need your help relieving..." Her tone let her know exactly what she was implying as she walked to her bedroom, leaving Natsu blushing on the couch. While they had flirted and kissed constantly, and he hadn't denied that he enjoyed groping her while they had their moments of intimacy, they had never actually had sex. He quickly stood from the couch and bolted towards her room.

Amanda was sitting on her bed when Natsu burst in to her room with wild eyes. She couldn't help the chuckle that left her mouth at seeing him so frantic. His eyes were wild, his hair slightly messy, and his chest heaving as he lightly panted. She had to admit that she liked the image, as none of the three men that she had slept with could have ever provided her such an alluring image. She sat back on the bed as she pulled off her top and tossed it across the room. She felt herself shudder when she found Natsu's hungry eyes boring in to her own. She felt hypnotized as she reached her hands behind her, unclasping her bra and throwing it to the man. He caught it in his hands before bringing it up to his nose and inhaling deeply. She heard the growl he let out as his eyes snapped back to her. He took a few steps towards her before finally kneeling against the foot of her bed. He was about to climb on when she stopped him by pressing her foot to his chest. His eyes cleared up a bit as he stared at her in slight confusion.

"You're a bit too dressed to climb in to my bed right now." She smirked up at him as he growled again. She gestured to his pants. "Lose those and your boxers, and then we'll talk..." She didn't think someone could become naked as quickly as he did. He stood bare before her, and she couldn't stop the blush on her face as she stared at the man's naked body. His erection stood at a solid eight inches, gently bobbing with his pulse. She felt her mouth go dry as he slowly began to walk back up to her bed. She stopped him once again as she crawled to the edge and stood before him. He stared in to her eyes before lunging forward, his mouth claiming hers in a fiery kiss. She moaned in to the kiss and her hand traced down his sculpted form, anjoying every ripple on his form before finally resting against his throbbing manhood. He broke the kiss to hiss lightly as she began to stroke him slowly.

"Oh my~" Her accent was thick like honey to Natsu as she whispered in his ear, her hand continuing it's sinfully delicious motions. Up and down constantly. He felt her nipping on his neck and nibbling on his ear as she continued to whisper to him. "So hard and thick. So big too. Biggest I've seen, at least. Don't go blowing your load now though, lover. I haven't gotten a chance to feel you everywhere yet..."

"E-everywhere?" Natsu panted out as she continued to stroke him. She grabbed his hand with the hand that wasn't stroking him and moved it to cup her rear. She leant up and licked the shell of his ear before whispering.

"Everywhere~" Natsu felt like his eyes were going to roll in to his head at the implication. He nearly whined when she pulled her hand away from him. Natsu focused his attention back on to her, noticing she had taken a step away from him. She pushed him to sit on the bed before standing in front of him. He stared at her as she unbuttoned her pants and pulled them down, leaving her in a pair of grey panties. His nose was flooded with the scent of her arousal, his mouth watering at the slight tang he could feel at the tip of his tongue. He watched her pull down her panties completely, kicking them to the side, before she stood bare before him. His mouth was watering, and he was sure if he wasn't clenching his jaw to keep in control of himself, he'd be drooling. He noticed her posture became suddenly shy, his body giving his mind a bit more control as he stared at her in concern. She sighed as she stood in front of him.

"I know it's not like the last time you saw me, but this is me now. I hope you like it..." She wouldn't look him in the eye.

He'd have to change that.

Faster then she could register, he had grabbed her and tossd her on to the bed. She lie on her back for just a moment, staring up at the cieling, before her mind caught up with her. She moved to sit up, but found herself being held down as Natsu hovered above her, keeping her pinned. He locked eyes with her as he leaned forward and kissed her with everything he had, hoping that he would be able to carry through what he felt for her. She wrapped her arms around his shoulder as their tongues meshed, Natsu's hand caressing her breasts as she moaned in to his mouth. He grunted as she rubbed herself against him, her moist sex coming dangerously close to his cock as she rolled her hips against him. He broke the kiss as he stared in to her eyes.

"You're so beautiful. Even better than that day, and now you're mine. I don't plan on letting you go. You're part of my hoarde."

"Hoarde?"

"Yes. Every dragon has a hoarde. It's a collection of all of our most prized posessions. You're mine now..." He sat up between her legs as he watched the fire return to her brown eyes.

"I'm not some thing that you can just claim. I'm my own GOD~" She cried out as Natsu buried his face between her legs, his tongue burying itself deep in to her womanhood. She moaned as his tongue wiggled it's way in every direction inside of her. She latched a hand in his hair in hopes of gaining some form of control over the tongue that seemed determined to explore every inch of her. She cried out as he nuzzled his nose against her clit while his tongue continued to explore her. She felt tears in her eyes as she became overloaded with pleasure, her hips bucking against Natsu's face as she rode out her first orgasm.

Natsu felt his mouth being flooded with her delicious nectar, and couldn't stop himself from growling as he drank down as much as he could, savouring the taste as he listened to her panting cries of ecstacy. He was brought out of his meal when Amanda tore his head away from her sensitive womanhood. He stared in her eyes, the clouded look of lust causing another shock of pleasure to run through her. She pulled Natsu up to meet her lips, both of them savouring her flavour as their tongues mingled. She broke the kiss as she rolled them over and kissed a track down his body. He moaned when she took the tip of his cock in to her mouth. He hissed as she added suction while her mouth slowly descended down his cock, her tongue tracing every ridge and vein as she moved down. He felt his knees buckle and his hips thrust when his tip met the back of her throat. She backed him out lightly while briging a hand up to cup his sack while the other moved to wrap around what she couldn't fit in to her mouth. Natsu felt himself losing control as his hips began to gently thrust in her grip, her saliva adding lubricant to the already sweet friction. They continued for several minutes before Natsu finally lost control and gripped roughly on Amanda's hair, enjoying the hum she let out as he blew his load in to her mouth.

Amanda felt her cheeks bulge when Natsu released his cum in to her mouth. She hadn't ever experienced an orgasm that would overfill her mouth, and could only imagine how it would feel to have him release inside of her. She focused herself as she leaned back, the load still in her mouth as she looked at Natsu. She opened her mouth to show him the jizz before closing it again. Several loud gulps reverberated through the room before she opened her mouth again to show that her mouth was now empty of the ejaculate that had been in it moments before. She looked to see the wide eyed gaze of her boyfriend before looking down to see his cock rock hard again.

"That was so hot..." His voice seemed awed. She let out a giggle as she climbed forward and kissed him gently.

"Well, enjoy it. You're the first person I've ever swallowed for. I plan to have quite a few firsts with you... I hope you don't mind that you aren't my first..."

Natsu leaned up and kissed her again, not exactly enjoying the taste of himself on her lips, before responding. "I don't mind. You're here with me now, and that's what matters. Besides, you said it yourself, we'll have plenty of firsts." She grabbed his erection and positioned it at her entrance. She slowly began to sink herself on his shaft, both of them hissing out the other's name as he finally bottomed out inside of her. She leaned forward and kissed him gently.

"I love you." She spoke as she gently as she began to bounce on his lap gently. Natsu moved his hand up to cup her breasts as his hips began to move in sync with hers.

"I love you too." His voice was rough as his hips began to speed up. She let out a long moan as he hit a particular spot withing her with his thrusts. He rolled them over, her legs wrapping around his waist as his hips picked up even more speed. Soon the only sound withing the room was the slapping of flesh as well as the moans of the two lovers. They continued for nearly twenty minutes before Natsu's pace became frantic.

"Amanda," He moaned as he felt her clenching around him again. "I'm going to cum..." He didn't need to ask his question for Amanda to nod too him.

"It's safe. I'm on birth control so don't worry!" She moaned as another orgasm washed over her. She felt her vision go white when she felt a massive amount of warmth pouring in to her. She felt it flooding her insides to the point of overflowing out of her and on to the sheets beneath her. She vaguely felt Natsu sucking on the side of her neck, the hickey that would be left behind would last for a week, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She moaned gently as he removed himself from her, her body shuddering as more cum poured from her abused pussy. She felt Natsu lift her up bridal style before carrying her towards his bedroom. He lie them both down on top of the bed before pulling a spare blanket over them. She turned on her side as sleep began to overtake her, moaning as she felt Natsu slide under the blankets behind her and wrap his arm around her waist as he pulled her back against his chest. She felt herself being lulled to complete relaxation as the man's heat flowed through her. She felt sleep take her over as the arms tightened a little and she caught the last words from her boyfriend before blissful sleep finally claimed her.

"I love you."

* * *

Got another chapter out for you all today. Had some free time and decided to capitalize on it. It's a little bit shorter than the last couple of chapters, but oh well. Now I'm coming up o a bit of an issue though.

I had originally planned for Amanda Holliday to be left behind in the Destiny universe, but I'm finding myself liking the idea less and less. I'm torn right down the middle as far as this goes. So I need some help.

If any of you who read this and want her to stay in the Destiny verse or go with Natsu back to Earthland, I need you to post your vote in the comments. Doesn't matter if you leave a guest review or comment from your profile, but the decision on her staying or going falls on all of you. Comment "Stay" for her to stay in the Destiny verse, or comment "Go" for her to go with Natsu to Earthland.

There's still a few chapters left before his return to Earthland, so that means it'll be about two or three weeks before that happens. A month max. Cast your vote in the comments over the next few weeks and I'll count them and go from there.

Let me know, and thanks for reading,

Temper


	13. Chapter 13

Light

Chapter 13

* * *

Amanda was awoken to the sound of chirping. Assuming it to be a bird, she opted instead to roll over and cuddle further in to her pillow. She had just begun to nod back off to sleep when she heard a low whistling sound and a bright light entered her vision. Sighing, she rolled over to see what had awoken her, only to see Specter hovering above her, a beam of light coming from it's face as it scanned her. She shot her hand out and grabbed the Ghost from mid air before bringing her up to her face, enjoying the way the small being seemed to squirm in her grasp.

"Why, for the love of the Nine, are you scanning me?" The Ghost paused it's squirming, it's yellow pupil searching around wildly before responding.

"Well I was checking your vital signs. You and Natsu are three hours late for duty, and Zavala is at the door." Amanda paled as she whipped over to look at the clock, seeing the time was 1140. Specter didn't seem to care as he continued. "I am without hands, so I've had to speak with him through the door. He sent me to make sure you were both okay, apparently there were several noise complaints throughout the night." Her face felt like it was going to burst in to flames as the Ghost spoke. "It is good to see you both unharmed. I am aware of the practice of reproduction, but it seems far more violent than the files and logs stated." Amanda was brought out of her mortification as the chest she was using as a pillow began to shake quietly. She looked up to the chest's owner, to see Natsu biting his lip as he shook in silent laughter.

"Something funny, fuckhead?" Amanda asked as she tightened her grasp on Specter, the Ghost seeming to chirp and shift uncomfortably. Natsu finally lost it as he rolled to the floor, the laughter exploding from him as the blonde stared at the idiot rolling around on the floor.

"You're face! I've never seen you blush so hard before in my life!" His laughter continued, causing a vein to appear on the blonde's forehead before she reared up the hand holding the poor Ghost, before launching it down, watching the Ghost impact with her boyfriend's head. His laughter stopped as he rolled around on the floor, muttering curses. She climbed from the bed to stand over the rolling guardian, raising an eyebrow when he stopped rolling and stared at her. She looked down at herself, quickly realizing why he was staring at her, before pulling a sheet from his bed and wrapping it around herself. He graoned in disappointment and climbed up from the floor, only to see her blush when he stood. He looked down at himself before looking back up at her.

"Like what you see?" He asked her teasingly as he took a step towards the blonde. Not one to be outdone, she let the sheet fall away from her as she closed the distance, wrapping her arm around his shoulder as she ground against him, grinning as she felt him begin to harden against her.

"Maybe I do, especially after last night. Think you got another round in you?" Natsu was about to respond when a loud chirp caught both of their attention.

"Shall I inform Zavala that you two are attempting to procreate again? I'm sure he would understand." Natsu was about to tell Specter to do so, until Amanda smacked a hand over his mouth and answered.

"No. Tell him to give us five minutes and we'll both be out." Specter whirred before floating out of the room. Amanda released her hand from Natsu's mouth after he decided to entertain himself by licking her palm repeatedly. She wiped her hand on the bed before huffing as she felt Natsu walk up behind her and wrap his arms around her, his erection pressed in to her back. She wiggled her way out of his grasp, ignoring his pout as she walked to the doorway of his room. "We'll have plenty of time for that later. For now, we have to go explain to the Vanguard Commander as to why we're late." With those parting words, she exited to her room to get dressed.

Five minutes later, Amanda emerged from her room, fully dressed for work, only to see Natsu sitting naked on the couch. She felt the irritation in her chest climb to her head. "Why are you naked?" She figured she's start with the obvious question and go from there. Natsu just shrugged.

"I dunno. I woke up naked, and my clothes were in your room. Figured I couldn't be in there while we were both still naked, so here I am. Why, what's up?" Amanda wanted to smack the nonchalance out of the man, but instead opted for walking over and pinching his thigh, feeling a small bit of satisfaction when he yelped in pain and pouted up at her.

"What's up," She began lowly, "Is that your boss, and mine as well, is right outside, and we have to explain why we are now two hours late for our shifts. That's 'What's up' you jackass!" By the end of it she was shouting. Natsu just dug a pinky in to his ear before standing up and sighing dramatically.

"You know, you're still cute when you're angry. Ever wonder what angry sex is like?" Amanda blushed before punching the pink haired guardian in the arm, watching him grunt and rub the sore spot. He sighed. "Specter!"

"Yes Natsu?" The Ghost responded to his call quickly.

"Clothes. Vanguard set up."

"Affirmative."

Amanda watched as Natsu's form was enveloped in light before it faded away quickly and revealed Natsu in his new armour, sans the helmet. He turned to her and held out his arms.

"Better?"

"Lazy ass. Yes, that's better. Now, what do we tell Zavala?" Amanda felt slightly at ease when Natsu pulled her in for a hug and planted his lips against her temple.

"Don't worry, I got this." He released her gently before walking over to the door, taking a deep breath before opening it. Zavala stood, looking at the two with a stern expression on his face. Natsu rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Heeey Zavala... Sorry we're late but we we're up pretty late last night." The Commander just sighed before pinching the bridge of his nose.

"If you two insist on arguing at all hours of the night, can you at least be a little more quiet? We recieved complaints from half of your building last night."

"Oh we weren't fighting." Natsu corrected the titan, who could only look from the pink haired man to the mortified mechanic.

"Okay then, what were you doing that was so loud?" Amanda couldn't cross the distance to cover Natsu's mouth before he could respond.

"We were fucking."

Zavala sputtered before composing himself, turning and walking away quickly.

* * *

Two weeks flew by for Natsu. Between simple scouting for Cayde, annoying Zavala, and spending time with Amanda, Natsu found himself coming to enjoy the routine of life. It felt nice knowing what the day was going to be like when you first wake up, but Natsu also knew that it would have to end if he wanted to get home. He felt a bit of guilt for wanting to still leave this world behind. He wondered if Amanda would be willing to come with him. He felt his chest knot up at the thought of her refusing to leave with him. He felt his head spin with questions. Would the Vanguard let him? Would Amanda want to leave with him? Did he still want to leave? That last question seemed to eat away at him the most. He had grown comfortable here, and being so unique and needed for a change felt nice. This world had it's Darkness, but it also had Light, it had hope. Natsu felt a bit of guilt at the prospect of leaving behind the people he had come to know and respect for the last four years of his life. He hoped that he would be able to bring himself to leave soon. It was nothing against his current address.

He just missed his home.

The walk to the Vanguard chambers was ingrained in him to the point that he was sure he could do it with his eyes closed. Cayde had summoned him, which wasn't strange, but what was strange was that the most recent reports showed Cayde would be out of the Tower for at least four months. Natsu wondered why Cayde would give him an assignment so close to his own departure. He was brought out of his musings when the Exo on his mind stepped out from behind the doorway and stopped the guardian from entering.

"Not that way. Walk with me." Natsu didn't even bother to question the hunter, used to his strange intricacies by now. He walked alongside the hunter, both silent as they made their way to the hangar. They both passed quickly through the security gate and towards a random shuttle. Natsu pulled up his tablet to call his ship, but Cayde stopped him. "We're gonna be playing this one quiet. They don't know we're leaving, well they know I'm not going to be here for a bit, but I won't be going where I told them. YOU on the other hand, they have no clue you're leaving, but Zavala will be getting my message soon, so I'd recommend you say your goodbyes real quick, because we are going to be gone for a few months." Cayde gestured over to a shuttle, both watching Amanda come out of the cargo bay, typing away on her tablet as she ordered several maintenance droids. She sighed before looking out of the hangar toawrds the Traveler, brushing a stand of hair behind her ear. Natsu crept up on her slowly, making sure to prevent making a sound, and quickly wrapped his arms around her and pull her back in to the open shuttle. She flailed around for several moments before realizing who it was who was dragging her. She huffed when he let her go, taking a moment to adjust her clothing before rearing back and punching him in the head. He whined as he held on to his head, the only place he didn't have armour.

"What the hell is wrong with you. Zavala will have us suspended if he catches us both in here again. Remember last time?" She whispered to him in anger. Natsu felt himself grinning perversely as he recalled how the Commander had caught them both with their pants down in the back of a shuttle after Natsu failed to report for duty and Amanda hadn't come back from lunch. It was worth having to scrub every inch of the cargo bay to see the sputtering titan as he yelled at the two of them after letting them dress themselves. Natsu enjoyed messing with the prude, and Zavala made sure to send Ikora when she was cooperative to fetch either of them, but more often than not he had to find them himself. He snapped himself out of it as his girlfriend stared at him, waiting for an answer.

"I have a mission with Cayde, and it seems like Zavala and Ikora don't know the specifics, so we're sneaking out." The blonde woman rolled her eyes before stepping forward to embrace her boyfriend. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his nose in to her hair before inhaling deeply. He loved how she smelled, even when covered in grease and sweat.

"So what time will you be home?" She asked quietly. He broke the hug to stare in to her eyes.

"December..." He saw the sadness in her eyes as she looked to the floor. He placed his hand under her chin, forcing her gaze up to his. He leant in and pressed his lips to hers, both going silent to savour the kiss. They broke it a moment later, Amanda burying her head in his chest and hugging him tightly. "I should be home before your birthday." Natsu spoke, causing her to break the hug and look at him. "You think I'd forget it?" He smiled when she shook her head. "Good. I promise to be here for this one, so make sure you make extra cake. Who knows, even after all of that cake, I may want some more... dessert..." He purred in to her ear, enjoying the way she shuddered in his grasp before breaking the hug and turning away from him to hide her blush.

"Pervert."

"You love me."

"I do." She turned back to him. "Come home safe."

"He will." Cayde voice interrupted from the ramp of the cargo bay. The couple turned to look at him, the Exo sighing as he shrugged. "Look, I'd love to give you guys all day here, but time is short. Amanda, do you have any shuttles going over the North American outposts? Gotta get to Washington." Amanda nodded to the hunter before pointing to a shuttle across the bay.

"That one is going to be stopping about 400 miles north of DC. It leaves in ten minutes."

Cayde nodded to Natsu before turning and heading towards the shuttle. Natsu turned back to Amanda, pulling her in for one more kiss.

"Don't go falling out of love with me yet. I just got you, and I don't want to come back home having to kill someone. Again." He jogged out of the cargo bay to catch up with Cayde as they both climbed in to the cargo bay of the outbound shuttle.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Jackass..." She wiped her eyes before picking her tablet back up and forcing herself back to work.

* * *

Natsu stared in wonder at the wrecked city. Moss and vine had overgrown the rubble and wreckage of the city. He saw a large building with a dome on top, half of it collapsed in. He saw a large obelisk in it's side, half submerged in some sort of rectangular swamp. Cayde stepped up next to Natsu before speaking.

"Take a good long look, Natsu. At one time, this place was considered the capital of the entire planet. Nothing happened around the world without it being approved in some way in this city. This place was the very first to die when the Fallen attacked. The hive ignored it, as by the time they arrived, most of the planet was dead, and the Traveler was over Russia. This place is still Fallen territory though, so be on alert."

"Why are we here anyway?" Natsu asked. Cayde turned to the guardian before patting him on the shoulder.

"We're here to find someone special. I know a man who has been alive since the time before the Traveler died. He used to be what is known as an 'Iron Lord'." Cayde nodded to the large building in the center. "And I thikn he's in there." The two began to walk towards the building, taking care to keep their rifles trained on any ledges as they crept through the city.

"Doesn't answer why I'M here though..." Natsu grumbled. Cayde shushed him as they continued to inch towards the capitol building.

It took them nearly four hours to make it to the building. It stood, but barely, in shambles. The doors were broken, wood splintered in to the lobby of the building. The paint was peeled away in most places, water damage from the holes in the ceiling running down the walls and to the floor. Grass had sprung up from the dirt either covering the floor or the areas where the floor and carpeting was just missing. Natsu and Cayde continued to slowly walk down the hallways, Natsu taking note on how everything seemed to have seen some level of combat, if the bullet holes in nearly every wall and pillar were anything to go by. They walked, clearing room by room, until arrriving to the last room at the end of a long hallway. Cayde stopped at the door before turning to Natsu.

"When we meet him, let me do the talking to start off with. You're going to find this man is a little... Eccentric." Natsu snorted.

"And you aren't?"

"Well this guy makes me look like Zavala." Cayde chuckled, causing Natsu to snap his mouth shut. Just how strange was this man? They recieved their answer when the door was forced open from the other side. Natsu turned his head, only to be greeted by the barrel of a gun.

Then everything went black.

* * *

Natsu awoke to the sound of a crackling fire. Groaning as he sat up, he couldn't help but run a knot that had formed in his neck. He was brought out of grumbling when a new voice rang out.

"Not really sorry about that. Ya snuck up on me. Shouldn't have done that." Natsu snapped his gaze to a hooded figure draped in animal furs leaning against a wall. The figure raised his hands up and tossed back his hood, revealing the face of an Exo to Natsu. His head was just like Cayde's, the only difference being a large plate of armour to cover his eyes, and the colour was different than Cayde's. Metal as black as onyx greeted Natsu, the only hint at the red lights of his eyes peeking through the slits on the armour plate covering them.

"Who are you?" Natsu asked as he rubbed his neck a bit more. 'Why am I sore?' he thought to himself. When the Ghost revives a guardian, it's supposed to revive them completely healed, and combat ready, so why did Natsu wake up?

"Looking for your Ghost?" The man nodded over to a perch near a hole in the roof, seeming to ignore Natsu's question. "It's up there. Revived you unconscious at my request and has been up there since. Damn thing's hiding from me. It knows that if I was a threat, killing it would keep you down. Smart. Never really understood the little things, Ghosts I mean. Never had one with the Iron Lords. None of us did. No need for one when we couldn't be killed."

"What do you mean 'couldn't be killed'? Everything can be killed..." Natsu trailed off when the Exo's gaze snapped to him.

"Exactly as it sounded, Boy! We were shot, stabbed, crushed, burned alive, torn apart, but none of it killed us. We are immortal. Piece us back together and give us a few days, and there wouldn't even be a scar. We were the first wave of guardians when the Traveler died. We were revived weeks after his demise, and without Ghosts. No amount of research could tell us why, but we assumed it had something to do with the Traveler's Light still permeating the entire planet. The Ghosts weren't needed to charge our batteries. We came out of the package fully charged. We are the reason there is even one city left."

"If you were all so perfect, the how come this whole planet seems to have fallen to complete shit?" Natsu questioned irritably.

"There were so few of us. You can only stretch a force so thin before an alternative is needed. We sought to control an ancient Golden Age technology, but some things are locked away for a reason. It was called SIVA, and it had the ability to make literally anything by modifying matter on the atomic level."

"So you never found it? Did your people get consumed by the Darkness while looking for it?" Natsu asked. He had heard of many cases of guardians chasing phantoms to the end of a trail that held nothing but despair. The man shook his head.

"No. No we found it, but it wasn't alone..."

"What do you mean?"

"Every machine must have a controller. Myself and Cayde are no different, but our controller is the once human brain that has been translated to data and transferred to these metal bodies. SIVA was no different, but it's controller didn't want us there. It saw us as unworthy to wield such raw potential. Rasputin was this controller's name."

"The warmind?" They both turned their head to the roof to see Specter's gaze glowing at them. The man nodded.

"Yes. He used to have control over the Earth's defense network. It controlled everything from our armouries, to our nuclear missiles. Rumors emerged shortly after our revival of a network of railgun and laser satellites, all fully loaded and ready, just waiting in orbit for his approval to fire. It could have been an amazing ally, but it saw us as nothing more than a potential threat. When we found SIVA, it was in control, and used it to devour the Iron Lords who had breached it's chamber. Saladin was the only one to make it from that engagement, and he saw fit to disband the Iron Lords afterwards. I was here on assignment at the time, so word took a while to reach me. He never gave a particular reason, but I think it was easier to turn the Iron Lords in to a comfortable legend by erasing our history. I believe he had us step out of the way for the new generation of guardians. Tell me, Ghost," He turned to face Specter, "Did the Vanguard have any logs on SIVA or the Iron Lords?" Specter whirred slowly before chirping.

"Negative. No data was found on SIVA and everything on record of the Iron Lords is more easily classified as urban myth. If it weren't for the sporadic appearance of Lord Saladin, I am sure that all would assume the Iron Lords would fall to the sands of time like so many other legends."

"Ah," The Exo sighed tiredly. "Figures if it weren't for the man who disbanded us, we would be nothing more than a bed time story. I wonder if we would fly in the stories, or maybe shoot lasers from our eyes, or fire from our asses." The Exo began to chuckle to himself before falling silent and staring in to the fire. "You asked who I am, Natsu Dragneel. My name is Saxon, and Cayde has asked me to train you in the ways of the hunter." Natsu looked at the man in confusion.

"Why couldn't he teach me?" Natsu was even more confused when the hunter laughed before standing in front of the guardian. He held his arm out, only for Natsu to gasp as a bow materialized in his hand, made completely of void energy.

"He can't teach you how to do this! I am one of the last hunters who can wield the Nightstalker's Bow!"

Natsu shot to his feet to admire the bow in the man's hands. "That's so cool!" Natsu nearly shouted. "How'd you do it? Will you teach me that?" Natsu continued to fire off questions as the man dissapated the bow.

"All in due time, Boy! For now, we must train you to tap in to the void element. I won't lie, it will be hard. It took me nearly two decades to do so, and you are on an even more limited time frame. The first step to it all is to accept your own Darkness, and travel with it to the Light!" The man yelled excitedly, raising his hand to the air and pointing towards the sky. Natsu couldn't help but sweat drop at the strange man before holding out both of his hands, the purple energy pouring from him like fire. The hunter stopped to stare at him in disbelief before raising both fists to the air. "See how great of a teacher I am! One lesson and a minute later he has it! I am the greatest!" Natsu didn't have the heart to correct him, nor did he even want to try and explain how the most evil human believed to have existed on Earth trained him.

"Sure... So what's the next step?" The Exo turned to him and began to chuckle.

"You're going to have to hunt me down first. Ghost!" Specter chirped in acknowledgement. "Set revive time for 30 minutes!"

"Affirmative!"

"Why would you have him set the revive time for that long?" Natsu questioned, only to see the man pull out a rifle nearly as long as Natsu was tall. It seemed old, if the wooden stock and simple barrel were anything to go by.

"You're going to learn to be a hunter, and the best way for you to do that is hands on. This is the 'No Land Beyond'. She's my baby, a sniper rifle with no scope, meant for only the sharpest eyes. She gives no glare, because she has no scope. You are going to try and hunt me down and shoot me with whatever weapon you fancy. I'm only going to use this, and you will need to rely on your instincts to find me, as all hunters must. Titans use force and warlocks use logic. Hunters complete the trifecta by relying on instinct. If a hunter gets a bad feeling in their gut, it is accurate. While most people learn to ignore their instincts in favour of logic and reason, a hunter will never ignore their instinct. Remember this, and allow instinct to guide you." Before Natsu could speak, Saxon pressed the barrel of his gun against Natsu's head and pulled the trigger.

* * *

Natsu felt his feet hit the gorund before he was gasping for breath. It didn't matter how many times it happened, he really hated getting killed. 'At least the crick in my neck is gone.' Natsu thought as he looked at the room that he and Saxon were speaking in. The fire had been snuffed out, and all that remained of the hunter was a scrap of pelt on the ground. Natsu knelt down and picked it up before stuffing it in to a pack on his waist, figuring it may help him in some way later on. He equipped his sniper rifle and walked outside. He had just exited the building when he got a strange feeling in his gut. Ignoring it, he turned a corner, only for everything to go black.

His feet hit the ground and he needed less time to catch his breath as the light particles faded away from his vision. He looked to the wall behind him, noting the splatter of blood against the wall.

His blood.

He grit his teeth as he pulled his rifle over his shoulder by the strap and continued walking, intent on hunting down the hunter.

The first week in, Natsu learned when not to turn a corner, and when to safely peek from cover. He never caught a full view of the hunter, only catching peeks of the Exo as he would flee from his position. Every time Natsu would pursue his, he would either wind up getting killed, or encountering a dead end trail. He felt frustration as his feet hit the ground once more. He didn't need to catch his breath anymore.

By the end of the first month, Natsu had progressed to the point of being able to catch a clear view of the hunter, but never long enough to line up the shot. The hunter would fire just close enough to push him in to cover before fleeing. Natsu tried to go in to his Hammer of Sol once, but as soon as the metal clank rang out to signify his super, an arrow of pure void energy hit the ground next to him. A tether of void energy pulled him to the ground and forced him out of his transformation. He looked up just in time to see the hunter lining up his rifle, then everything went dark.

The second month found Natsu casting off most of his armour plating. He had managed to get closer and closer to the hunter, but even when walking completely silent, his gear would make some sort of noise. He now stood in his basic combat outfit, the metal plating stored in his Ghost's inventory. He kept his helmet on, as it seemed that Saxon loved to blow away chunks of his cover in to his face whenever Natsu peeked at him with his sniper rifle. The helmet prevented him from being blinded.

The third month found Natsu facing his desperation. He hadn't made any more progress in the entire month, and Saxon seemed to have taken to gloating before killing him. He felt the dirt under his knees as his rifle fell uselessly to the ground. His chest burned, the hole in it may have had something to do with it. He felt his lungs filling with fluids before he coughed, sparying blood all over the inside of his helmet, giving his visor a deep red hue. He heard footsteps as the hunter came in to his vision. He heard the man sigh before the Exo turned Natsu's head to face him. Natsu felt his vision start to blur and fade as the hunter spoke.

"Your scope keeps giving you away."

* * *

When Natsu's feet hit the ground and the light faded from his vision, he was greeted to a camp fire and Cayde sitting across from him.

"You look like hammered shit, Natsu. Rough time?" Natsu grit his teeth as he took a seat across from the hunter. He pulled out a ration bar before taking off his helmet and chowing down on hit, ignoring the bland flavour. The hunter remained silent as he watched the man chew on the bar in terse silence. It was several minutes before Natsu spoke again.

"What am I missing? I'm following my instincts, but it is only preventing me from getting killed. The moment I push forward, I get torn apart." Cayde whistled lowly before looking at the fire.

"It took me ten years to successfully hunt him down, and even then it was a draw. I've never gotten the leg up on him, but there's a valid reason to it."

"Why?"

"He's been a hunter for nearly five hundred years. His combat experience makes him one of the greatest assets to hunters to ever exist. You get close to him, because he lets you. You see him, because he wants you to see him. He's going easy on you, but you've made so much progress that it's frightening. You are a combat prodigy. You seem to have been born and bred to kill, and it scares me at how easily you can grasp the power to destroy. You almost have it, but he asked me to give you a bit of advice. Humans are animals, and animals have a sort of sixth sense. This is the instinct that hunters use. Me and Saxon may be Exos, but we were human once, and that instinct seems to have somehow transferred with the rest of our brain. You are trusting your instinct, which is good, but it will only work best when all of your senses are in tune. You are restricting yourself, I can't tell you how, but you are. Figure out how, and you will officially be a hunter." Cayde stood up and dusted off his pants. He turned to Natsu and nodded as he started to kick some dirt over the fire, thoroughly extinguishing it. "Now." He began to walk away, "Think it over and try again."

Natsu was about to question him when he felt the barrel dig in to the back of his neck. "How long have you been there?"

"The whole time."

"All of it?"

"Yep."

"Was he right?"

"Yep."

"Any chance you'll let me take this lesson and give me a pass?"

A loud bang rang out as Natsu's body sank to the floor. The Exo wiped his barrel with a scrap of cloth before pinning it to a wall with his knife.

"Nope."

* * *

Natsu felt the forces in his mind dragging him in before he could do anything to stop it. He was brought to stand before END, and the demon didn't seem pleased.

"Why do you keep dying?"

"It ain't easy finding someone with four hundred and some odd years on you in combat." Natsu argued back.

"You aren't using everything in your arsenal?" END questioned irritably.

"I AM!"

"No you aren't! You haven't touched my power, not to mention you haven't even tried to explore the rest of your sould, have you?!"

"What good would cursed power do here? The Darkness in you would prevent me from being able to be revived. Your power would kill us both."

"Whatever. What about the rest of you?"

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked as he rubbed his face. He had a few interactions with END, but all of them left a sour taste in his mouth when he was done, mostly because the demon had no reason to lie to him, but had a penchant for making the guardian angry with his blatant uncaring for tact. He would speak his, or rather THEIR, mind, and always managed to anger the guardian with how simplified he made the thoughts.

"There's someone else hiding in your soul. I can't seem to drag him out, which means he doesn't want to be found, but you need to speak with him."

"Who is it?"

"You'll just have to find him. Dig deeper within your sould and drag him out. He'll be able to help you for certain." With those cryptic words END faded back in to the dark abyss of Natsu's mind. The pink haired man shrugged before sitting down in the darkness of his mind. He closed his eyes as void energy began to surround him, a sign of him venturing through his own soul. His eyes widened when he felt a burning fire inside of his gut, almost as if he had swallowed lava. His mind grasped on to the feeling and tried to pull it out, only to feel himself getting sucked in to whatever was burning inside of himself. The darkness of his mind gave way to an entirely new landscape. Lava poured from crevices on the sides of the volcanoes that seemed to stretch on all around him. He felt oddly relaxed at the heat, as if it was it was his home. He smacked a hand to his forehead in realization.

"Your mind, your mindscape. Of course you would be comfortable in the place you imagined. Dumbass." He scolded himself. He was brought out of his musings when a deep growl rumbled across the area. Natsu's ears perked up when he caught sight of the entrance of a cave, but what really piqued his interest was the glowing yellow eyes that were staring at him.

"You never meditated before, so the fact that you are here now is somewhat unsettling... My son..."

Natsu felt his heart sink to his feet, tears springing to his eyes as a voice rang out that he had thought he may never hear again.

"Igneel?"

"Yes Natsu."

"Why are you here? Where did you go? Why did you leave me alone?"

The dragon emerged from the cave, as proud and large as Natsu remembered. He fell to his knees as the dragon stood before him, wings extended out as he roared.

"Silence! You have many questions, but I'm afraid I don't have much time. I will explain as much as I can to you, but you must not interrupt me." Natsu nodded as Igneel began to recount to him everything that led up to him sealing himself in to Natsu. He spoke of the Eclipse Gate, and his ties to Zeref as well as the Heartfilia line that was tied to them as well.

"Why would you do all of this though? Why would you let me believe you abandoned me?"

"I had to. If you knew what our plan was for Acnologia, you would have tried to find him and fight him before we were all back at full strength."

"No I wouldn't-"

"Quiet boy! I'm not one of your stupid friends. I know you! You would have tried to take him on all on your own, and that would've gotten us both killed. Besides, that failure of a dragon slayer is our duty. We were foolish to trust humans with our powers, but it was necessary to do so. We needed to bolster our own forces in the war, and humans were the best candidate to aid us. You needed to have no idea on what we were planning, it was safer that way. You needed to meet new people, and make friends. You needed to live and be happy while we recovered. Zeref told me of his plans for you, and all I wanted for you was to be happy before then. He is going to make your life hell to get what he wants."

"Why though? What does he want from me?" Natsu felt tears run down his cheeks at how overwhelming everything was.

"It's not you that he wants. It's what's inside of you." Igneel spoke sadly. Natsu felt his eyes widen when realization struck him.

"END?"

"Yes. He sees END as the only way to end his suffering. All he wants is to die. It's the whole reason he gave you to me."

"What do you mean?"

"He knew that your curse power as END wouldn't be enough to kill him, but the power of dragon slayers was widely known after the war. He figured that perhaps a combination of the two would be enough to end him. He gave you to me so that I may train you, and gave myself and the other dragons a way to deal with Acnologia. He put us through the Eclipse Gate in exchange for training you as my own. I can't help how... attatched to you I became. I soon began to see you as my own son, and when it came time for me to leave you alone, it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I've watched your life through your eyes, and I couldn't be more proud of the man you have become. You have faced hopeless odds and constant adversity, but you have always powered through it. Even found yourself a mate. She's good for you. Helps keep you in line." Igneel spoke fondly to the man he saw as his own son. Natsu blushed, tears still running down his face as his father spoke so highly of him.

"When will you be able to come back out? I'd love for everyone to meet you when I get home." Natsu's hopeful expression fell when Igneel sighed and looked down at the guardian.

"I can not come out. There have been complications that none of us could have foreseen." Natsu's heart sank at hearing that.

"What complications?"

"When you died, and were brought back by the magic of this realm, the only way for me to continue my survival was by fusing my soul to yours. I will never be able to leave your body, as we are now one. There are some things that I can still give you, though you need to accept them from me."

"Why didn't I have them to begin with?" Natsu asked sadly. He felt bittersweet joy at having found his father, but never being able to show him to others. Igneel huffed before flicking Natsu with a single claw, launching the guardian across his mind.

"Stop being a depressing pain in the ass. I'm here now, and you could at least be happy that I'm not going anywhere ever again. Literally can't. So cheer up. And as to why you didn't have them to begin with, that is because I locked them away from you. Just as your Darkness hid away some of your potential, so have I. You need my permission to use my power, but I feel that your body can handle the strain. You will be changd though." Igneel warned as Natsu jogged back over to the fire dragon king. "Are you sure you want this?"

Natsu stared at the king before grinning. "It'll make me stronger, and bring us even closer. Why wouldn't I want it?"

"It's going to change you. You are going to be taking the mantle of king, and become my true heir. There are going to be stipulations to doing so."

"Like what?" Natsu asked with his head cocked. He had never figured there would be so many complications to just taking a power boost. Igneel chuckled.

"You are going to become the new Fire Dragon King. That means you will need to establish a kingdom. My lands were long ago given to the humans, so you will need to establish your own kingdom. You will need heirs, and you will need a lot of them."

"These don't seem to relate to my power though..." Natsu grumbled.

"Stop interrupting me!" Igneel bellowed at Natsu, watching him shut his mouth and nod quickly. "You will need heirs, but you will need more mates as well. You will mark them as yours, and they will gain the ability to carry your child."

"Wouldn't I be able to have children even without this mark?" Natsu questioned the dragon.

"Yes, but to reproduce without marking your mate would run the risk of killing them or the child. Your mark is a piece of your power, used to protect the mother while the child feeds off of the magic from the mark. The offspring you will produce will be powerful, and their mother needs your mark to be able to handle that power safely. As for your own power, it will grow based on the amount of mates you have. The king must become stronger in order to protect their kingdom, but there is a balance to be kept. You will reach a limit to your power before it begins to destroy your body, so you must be careful before you go off thinking you can bed every woman in the world. Let it be a lesson in control. Your mates must love you and you must love them. To mark someone without love is a death sentence for you both. Do you understand the stipulations to becoming my true heir?"

"Yes." Natsu nodded to his father. Igneel stared at his son for a moment before extending a claw out and tapping it against Natsu's chest, just above his heart.

"Very well. I, Igneel, as King of the fire dragons, name you as my heir and successor. I grant you the power of king, and all the responsibilities that come with it. May you carry my name with honor, and bring greatness to our lineage."

Natsu felt like lava was flowing through his body as he was surrounded by white hot flames. His mouth opened as a roar tore it's way from his throat. The flames dies down as Natsu felt new power surging through him. He turned to Igneel, who was staring in silent pride at his now officially declared son.

"You have passed your first trial, my son. My power has found your heart to be worthy of it."

"Thank you. What will happen now? Will you go away again?" Natsu felt shame at how timid he sounded. Igneel chuckled and shook his head.

"No. As I said, I am now a part of your soul. I will be with you forever now. I suppose I will be here if you ever need advice, but other than that, I'll be here." The dragon stated with a shrug. Natsu was about to depart, when he suddenly remembered the whole point to him being in his mind.

"Hey Igneel, I'm being tested. I have to hunt down this hunter, but I can't seem to get close enough to mark the kill for some reason. My instinct helps me from getting killed, but not enough to get him. He's just always expecting me. What do you think I should do?"

"Well," The dragon pondered for a moment. "Are you relying on your senses to hunt?"

"He's silent, I can't hear him. And any time I see him, it's already too late."

"And what about your sense of smell? Have you used that to hunt him?"

Natsu felt like hitting himself. "No. I've been wearing my helmet to prevent him from blowing dirt in to my eyes."

Igneel huffed. "You have the senses of a dragon. Your sense of smell is one of your greatest advantages over him, use it. Leave me alone now. Your stupidity has given me a headache." Natsu didn't get a chance to say goodbye to his father before he was exited from his mindscape forcefully. He snapped back to attention as his feet hit the ground and the light particles faded from his vision. He looked around his surroundings, taking note of the knife in the wall, and the scrap of cloth being held in place by it. He pulled his helmet off, taking a moment to smell the fresh air. He felt his chest thrum in the newly aquired power as he stored his helmet in his inventory. Walking over to the scrap of cloth, he tore it off of the wall, pocketing the knife while holding the scrap of cloth. He brought it up to his nose and inhaled deeply before smiling.

He had a scent.

* * *

The following two weeks saw Natsu jumping in progress faster than Saxon could keep up with, resulting in the hunter taking damge on several occasions. Saxon sighed as he rested against a toppled pillar. When he had left the rag for Natsu, it was in hopes of the guardian picking up his scent, he just hadn't realized how easily the man would've been able to track him. He had been playing defensively for the last week, and he felt the ground slipping away from him as Natsu hunted him mercilessly. He was brought out of his musing when he heard the dirt shift above him. He quickly lifted his head, to stare down the barrel of a shotgun. He raised his gaze a little bit higher to see the grinning face of Natsu Dragneel.

"So I guess this means you pass..."

"Yep."

"And that means you're ready for the next lesson."

"Yep."

"Any chance you'll save us the trouble of waiting for me to recover and NOT shoot me?"

There was several seconds of silence before a shot rang out.

"Nope."

* * *

It had taken two full days for Saxon to recover, and in that time, he had begun to instrust Natsu on the best ways to wield the Nightstalker's bow as well as all of the perks to the class. Natsu grasped the concepts easy enough, but he needed the manipulation matrix that Saxon was going to give him when he had fully recovered. He sat in front of a fire as Saxon gave a speech.

"There was a time when training under an Iron Lord was considered of the highest honor. Since we have been disbanded, you only recieve the honor of training under a hunter. I have put you against the grinstone, and you have emerged shaper and stronger. You are one of the best hunters that I have ever trained, and I am proud to call you my student. I will grant you your matrix, but first I wish to give you something else. Stand."

Natsu stood to his feet as Saxon walked over to a crate in the corner of the room. He opened it and pulled something out before walking over to Natsu. Natsu watched as he unfolded to cloak in his hand, noting the hood being made of chain mail as well as the light green colour of the cloth. Saxon walked behind Natsu and rested the cloak on his shoulders before walking to face the guardian. He tied the strings to hold the cloak together before stepping back, something resembling a grin on his robotic face.

"That is the cloak that I wore as an Iron Lord. It signified me as a hunter, and I pass it to you. Let anyone who sees this cloak on you know that you are trained by a legend! I now present you the void manipulation matrix. You already know how to funnel your energy to it, all you need to do is limit the power you have channeling in to it, and imagine the bow. The matrix will do everything else after that. Be warned, this is a weapon that has the potential to cause massive amounts of damage to yourself. Show me your bow, and finish your training as a hunter!"

Natsu channeled the Light in him while focusing on adding the void element to it. He felt the caustic element of void as he focused it on the matrix in his gloves. He concentrated on shaping it to form the bow that Nightstalkers were known to use. He felt it take shape in his grasp, and could only stare in wonder as he wielded a bow that seemed to be made of stars. He held his other hand where the string would be and drew it back, an arrow appearing in his grasp as the string tethered the bow to the arrow. He released his grip on the arrow, letting it fly from the bow and across the room. It exploded across the wall, causing a large orb of void energy to hover in place for several seconds before it faded away. Saxon clapped loudly before throwing an arm over Natsu's shoulder and walking with him down the hallway and towards the entrance of the building.

"You did well, surprisingly so. Cayde wasn't lying when he said that you were made for fighting. You will do well in life, so long as you never forget who your are and why you fight." Saxon patted Natsu's shoulder as Cayde came walking out of another room. The two hunters nodded to eachother before Cayde turned to Natsu.

"Got it done two weeks early. If we were holding them, you'd have so many records. We have to trek about 150 miles, but we got three weeks to do it. Ready for your first assignment as a hunter?"

"Sure, I guess..." Natsu shrugged and turned to the two hunters, who shook hands before Cayde turned to Natsu.

"Your first assignment as a hunter is to get to the rendezvous point. Alone. Within two weeks."

"Completely alone?"

Cayde's response was a ship flying over as the two Exos disappeared in particles of light, the ship flying off in to orbit before Natsu could argue.

"Dicks. Both of them. Damn it..." Natsu turned north and began to hike his way to the pick up point.

It could never be easy for him.

* * *

Got another chapter out. Not super happy with it. Feels a bit rushed, but I had a lot I had to get out of the way to set up for the next three chapters. Hopefully I can have those three out before the next two weeks is up. Setting goals for myself, but I feel that it's important to set that goal for myself. The voting for Amanda to go with Natsu is still up, but it's looking like I have my answer. That being said, leave a comment or cast your vote, let me know how I'm doing. Feel free to PM me any questions or suggestions.

Until next time,

Temper.


	14. Chapter 14

Light

Chapter 14

Just remembered that the Fallen race is called the Eliksni, though they are never referred to it by any other than Variks.

* * *

"60 miles..." Natsu huffed as he continued to hike north, the snow doing nothing to cool his irritated mood. He had been hiking for nearly four days, and according to Specter, he had only covered about 60 miles. "60 miles of hiking, and three nights of sleeping in the dirt. I'm going to kill him." Natsu swore as Specter floated next to him. "I'm going to kill them both. Gonna throw them from the top of the Tower, and sleep to the sweet melody of their screams. Bet Zavala would promote me. What rank am I anyway?" He turned to the Ghost. The being of Light turned to him beofre humming slightly.

"From what I can tell, you have not recieved your basic rank from the Vanguard, seeing as you never technically graduated from the training program. I feel it would be best to qualify you as a special asset."

Natsu groaned. "You're telling me after everything I've done, and the fact that I've learned how to use the styles of all three guardian classes, I STILL don't have a rank? I'm calling bullshit when we get back. After I've killed Cayde though. Yeah... He dies first..." Natsu began to chuckle to himself as the two continued on in silence. They hiked through the ruined ouskirts of cities, and dense forests, and slept under the stars. Natsu had to admit that if it weren't for the time constraint, he would enjoy this outing. He felt at home in the wild, his chest thrumming in satisfaction of a time before the Vanguard, and even a time before Fairy Tail. He rubbed his chest slowly, feeling the heat running through him in a way that he now associated with Igneel. It had taken him several days to grow used to the fact that he had found his father, but now he only felt joy whenever that surge of warmth poured through him, letting him know that Igneel was standing with him, fighting with him, and most importantly, living with him. He lie back against an overturned tree and stared up at the moon as sleep slowly claimed him.

* * *

Natsu was awoken to the sound of shrieking in the distance. Without even thinking, he shot to his feet with his weapon drawn and aimed towards the sound. He turned his gaze to the left as Specter came in to his vision.

"Life forms detected 300 meters to the north. How should we proceed?"

"With caution obviously. I know that there hasn't been a human here for over a century. That means that whatever made that noise is not human. Must be Fallen. I want to see what they're doing that makes that sort of noise..."

Natsu crept through the brush for what felt like hours as he silently made his way towards the shrieking. After a few minutes, Natsu came across a dried river bank. He climbed up the river bank and peered over to come to a strange sight. There were six fallen, three Dregs, a Vandal with no armour, and a Captain, and the dregs were each holding one of the Vandal's arms as the Captain paced around. The largest of the Fallen was letting out gutteral grunts and clicks as the Dregs forced the Vandal in to a kneeling position. Natsu watched as the Captain drew it's sabers and walked up to the Vandal, placing a saber under it's bottom left arm. With a quick yank upwards, the Vandal had lost it's arm, the loud wail carried across the surrounding area. Natsu flinched as the creature continued to scream, it's wails changing in pitch and clicking frantically, no doubt calling for aid. The Fallen around it seemed unconcerned as the Captain moved it's saber to the bottom right arm, another quick movement and the creature's other arm had come off. Natsu felt his blood chill as the easily recognized laughter of the Fallen echoed from the other five at the suffering they were inflicting upon the Vandal.

"It is a dishonor ceremony..." Specter spoke lowly so as to not draw attention. Natsu turned to the Ghost and motioned for it to continue. "When a member of the Fallen performs admirably, it is given a promotion. All Fallen started as Dregs, and earned their way up, all the way to Kell. Once they have earned their honor and rank as a Dreg, they are allowed to grow in their bottom two arms, having needed to keept them cut in order to show their status as the weakest. Once their arms grow out, they are Vandals, and once those Vandals achieve a certain status amongst their house, they are made Captains. That's usually where it stops, considering the jump from Captain to Archon or Kell has never been witnessed, so the actual perameters are unknown. It is theorized that a Kell and an Archon achieve their rank at the same time, implying that they must work together to take down the previous holders, but again, it is unknown. What we are seeing here is almost unheard of. To be demoted like this, that Vandal must have done something severe. My translation module is not finely tuned for the Fallen tongue, and so I can not gain enough information from their conversation to assist you. What shall we do?"

Natsu was about to respond when another wail rang out across the clearing. He turned his attention back to the Vandal, only to feel a bit of shock as it seemed like the Vandal was staring directly at him as it wailed. It must not have been a cry of alarm or warning, as the other Fallen had kept to laughing as the Captain threw the two arms to the two Dregs that weren't holding the Vandal down, the small Hyena like creatures waving the limbs around as they laughed. The wails continued as the Vandal stared at Natsu, it's glowing white eyes frantic as it struggled in the grip of the two Dregs still holding it down. The Captain seemed to have had enough, slowly walking behind the Vandal and raising both of it's blades high in to the air, intent on bifrucating the Fallen. A loud crack rang out as the Captain's head exploded, a stream of light pouring from it's neck as the two free arms clutched to the wound before the creature slumped over dead. The cry of alarm sounded out across the four Dregs, but two were immediately killed as Natsu leapt in to action with his scout rifle. The final two Dregs shared a look with each other before turning around and running the opposite direction of Natsu in an attempt to flee. Natsu scoffed as he brought his rifle up, quickly sighting the first Dreg. Two shots rang out in quick succession as the first Dreg droped to the ground and slid for several feet on it's face before stopping, dead. The second Dreg let out a startled cry as it continued to try and make it for the tree line at the edge of the clearing, only making it by the first layer of trees before two rounds tore through it's back, forcing it to collide with a tree violently, not that the Dreg was alive to feel it anymore. Natsu kept his rifle drawn as he slowly walked towards the Vandal, who hadn't moved since Natsu had killed the Captain. Natsu looked at the creature as he slowly circled it, noting how the Vandal's gaze followed him, but the creature otherwise didn't move. Deciding to take a chance, Natsu decided to try to communicate with the Vandal.

"Can you understand me?" Natsu only recieved a low growl as well as several audible clicks. Natsu turned to Specter, the Ghost focusing it's gaze on the Vandal before turning to Natsu.

"It basically said yes. I am not educated enough to tell you what EXACTLY it said, but it did give an affirmative." Natsu nodded before speaking again.

"Stay still." The creature gave several more clicks before facing the ground. Taking it as an affirmative, Natsu began to search the two Dregs and Captain that he had killed, coming across several small brown containers. He held them up to Specter, who quickly analyzed them before speaking again.

"They are called ether seeds. They act as the main food source for the Fallen, but their relation to the item seems much higher than it sounds. It is used as currency, medicine, and even a steroid of sorts to encourage growth. It seems to be what is used to accelerate the growth of arms on the Vandals, and it is a key component to the bodies of what few Archon and Kell we have examined. It's that white material that seems to steam from their body. Not their blood, but almost like their energy..." Natsu nodded as he took in the information. He walked back over to the kneeling Vandal, the creature meeting it's gaze once again. Natsu held up the containers, the Vandal instantly snapping it's attention to them. Natsu grinned before he motioned to the containers in his palm.

"Ether seeds. Say it in my tongue, and you can have them. Understand?"

The creature began to growl and click before Specter confirmed that the Vandal understood. The sat in the clearing for nearly twenty minutes as the Vandal attempted to pronounce the words. Natsu was about to give up when the Vandal spoke again.

"Eeeeether... Sheeeedssss..." Natsu almost jumped for joy when he got the creature to speak. He settled instead for tossing all of the containers to the Vandal, who proceeded to crack them open and inhale the wisps of light coming from them. It stood to it's feet quickly before staring at Natsu. The two had an uneasy silence before the creature dropped to it's knee and bowed before Natsu, catching the guardian off balance slightly. Natsu stood confused before the kneeling Fallen before turning to Specter.

"What the hell is going on?" Natsu whispered to the Ghost. It whirred silently in thought for several seconds before looking to the man.

"I haven't the faintest clue."

Natsu wanted to throw the Ghost, something he hadn't done in quite some time, but settled for sighing loudly. He looked to the Vandal, who stared at him from it's kneeling position. Natsu decided to voice his confusion. "Why are you kneeling?" The response he recieved was a series of low growls and clicks, and what also sounded like harsh sighs from the creature. Natsu turned to the Ghost in confusion, the floating creature turning to him, it's eye narrowed in surprise.

"I can't get what it said perfect, but it has vowed to serve you for having saved it's life. Some kind of honor pact from what I can understand. You saved it and gave it the ether seeds, which in their customs means you have seen it as honorable enough to be a Vandal. Because you promoted it, even without realizing what you were doing, you have now claimed leadership over it. I suppose it makes sense in a way. You killed the one who demoted it, and exhiled it from what I can tell, and stepped in to save it, then took up the mantle of it's leader and promoted it. I guess it owes you or something like that..."

Natsu slapped a hand against his helmet as he took in what had happened. In less then ten minutes, his day had gone from sleeping peacefully, to having a Fallen follower declaring him as it's leader. He motioned the Vandal to stand, which the creature did quickly, several clicks coming from it before a drawn out sigh. Natsu didn't even bother trying to have Specter translate for him, instead opting to speak to the Vandal instead. "You don't need to follow me. You don't need to serve me. You are free to do whatever the hell it is that your kind does. Go do it." The Vandal cocked it's head slightly before a growl came out from it as well as several more clicks and a sigh. Specter turned to Natsu before speaking again.

"It says that it's purpose is to serve."

"Of course it is..." Natsu sighed before moving over to the dead Captain. He pried the swords from the corpse's hands before tossing them in front of the Vandal. The figure looked to the in confusion before looking back up to Natsu. "Use them. Can't have you walking around unarmed..." The Vandal flinched and Natsu realized his blunder as he stared at the now sealed stumps where the Vandal's bottom two arms once were. "Bad choice of words. Still, you need a weapon of some kind, and I'm not going to have you using those dinky little shock pistols, and you sure as shit ain't using any of my guns." The Vandal stared at him before picking up the swords. It walked over to the Captain and pulled the two scabbards off of it's body and strapped them to itself. It slid the swords in to their sheaths before turning to Natsu and grunting. Natsu nodded to the Vandal before turning and walking back to the camp that he had set up, deciding that he was going to take a day to try and figure out just how he was going to explain any of this to the Vanguard.

* * *

Night had fallen quickly on the camp, and Natsu had yet to make any progress in how he was going to explain the Vandal to his technical bosses. The Vandal and Specter seemed to have taken to talking with eachother, the Ghost claiming it to being vital to expanding it's vocabulary on the Fallen language. Natsu shrugged as the two alien beings conversed in a language that Natsu couldn't even fathom, and he spoke ancient draconic. The conversation continued long in to the night as Natsu looked to the Vandal, the creature having taken to making animated motions as it spoke to Specter, the Ghost chirping and whirring in excitement before responding. Natsu would have loved to participate in the conversation, but acting as a third wheel or demanding his Ghost to translate back and forth between them just seemed tedious. Natsu's head snapped up as he had a realization.

He was trained as a void warlock!

He felt excited as he remembered that fact. That meant that he was able to make a mental bond with other living creatures and gain information, much like Ikora had done to him when he first arrived at the Tower. He shot to his feet, the Vandal and Ghost both stopping their conversation to stare at him in surprise.

"I have an idea. Come over here to me!" He all but ordered the Vandal to move, the creature seeming to groan lowly before walking over to kneel in front of him. Natsu placed a hand on the Vandal's head before speaking lowly. "This may hurt. Hurt me when it happened to me anyway..." The Vandal didn't have a moment to speak before Natsu channeled his light to his hand, converting it to void energy as he did so. He felt his light penetrating the Fallen skull as Natsu searched for the connection he felt when the Warlocks had done it to him. It felt like he was searching for hours through the creature's mind, when in reality it was less than ten seconds, before Natsu felt something inside the Vandal reach out and connect with his light. He felt immense joy as the connection secured itself, allowing Natsu to begin transferring information between the two of them. He felt a strain on him as he allowed certain information through while still holding back certain things, namely his own Darkness as well as the Collective Mind. He traded information with the Fallen, learning it's language nearly instantly as well as allowing his knowledge of language tranferring over to it. The connection lasted less than a minute, but when Natsu pulled his hand away, he felt as if he had been sprinting for nearly a week straight. His head felt fuzzy as it processed and categorized the information he had taken in. His body felt suddenly weak, he would later learn that he had nearly completely drained his power in the melding of minds that had taken place with the creature. Dredgen had once told him that to link minds with a human was simple, but costly. He could only imagine what would've happened if another guardian had tried it. It probably would have drained them completely and let their empty husks fall to the wild. He slumped back against the tree that he had slept against the previous night. He looked over to the Vandal, noting that it wasn't moving aside from the small movements of breathing. He let his head rest against the tree as he stared in to the morning sky. It wasn't even noon, and Natsu felt like he couldn't even keep his eyes open. His lids shut as the realm of dreams consumed him.

* * *

He dreamt of fire engulfing his home. He watched the creatures of Darkness consume his people. Homes were pulled apart as the void of Darkness sucked people from the safety of their shelters. He watched from his ship as it slowly ascended to the stars, anger flooding his veins.

How had this happened?

The great provider had shown itself, allowing his people to thrive under it's protective light. It had revealed great technological wonders to them, the ability to terraform and inhabit planets. It showed answers to their greatest dilemmas, and enabled them to explore the universe at their leisure. The tribes all came together in a great time of peace, no one trying to claim the top position any more. It wasn't needed. The houses all came together in the name of expanding. Under the protection of the great provider, anything was possible.

Then it left.

That should have been warning enough. They assumed nothing of it though, their technology had progressed to a point that they felt nothing could possibly hope to match. They were the most advanced of any of the species they had come across by centuries. When the provider left, they were under the assumption that it left because they no longer needed it's protection.

They were wrong.

It had ended just hours after it started. They had lost contact with their outermost colonies. The alarms were raised and ships were sent to investigate. They lost contact with them minutes later, the ships having been halted just halfway across the system. He walked outside to see it in the sky.

Darkness.

It stretched inky black tendrils across the sky as it engulfed the planet. Strange creatures with skin stretched over their bones ran screaming from the tendrils, only to begin consuming any who stood in their paths. He watched as the creatures were turned to dust under the might of his peoples' weapons, but there was only so much anyone could do to fight the infinite. Evacutaion sirens rang across the cities. Ships were loaded, and his people began to flee. Their pilots, all based off of the provider itself, screamed in their own language in warnings. The ones in charge of translating for them couldn't speak fast enough. He watched out the window as entire ships were devoured by the Darkness, the only light being the fires that erupted from them moments before being fully engulfed. He felt his ship lurch as it punched in to subspace transport, the consequences of doing so from the surface of the planet being ignored. He hoped that the ship's engines and thrusters had extinguished life quickly, before that Darkness could devour them. He felt his stomach turn as he heard the others speak.

They began to curse the provider.

The cursed it's very name, many calling for it to be struck from their history and records. Didn't they understand that the worst thing to do was ignore history? Didn't they realize that doing so would cut away a part of themselves, damning them as they realized that they could easily remove their own history. Many claimed it to be for the best, that nobody was to remember where they come from, lest they attempt to try and rely on the provider once more. Fighting broke out soon after that. Greed led his people to killing one another in the name of superstition, many claiming that they were chosen as they slaughtered families and claimed more power. History was deleted from records, and soon forgotten as the generations came and went. Yet he survived. He told young ones stories of their former home, of the greatness and glory that they had achieved. Those young ones in turn grew up, and slaughtered in the name of power and greatness as the followed after the trail of the provider. He felt his shame burn as he stared at the blood of his people on his hands. An old legend came to his mind as he stared at his four arms, each soaked with blood and dishonor as he raised the shock pistol to his temple, inhaling the scent of his failures before pulling the trigger.

'According to the House Rain, the great machine would crown a mighty champion as Kell of Kells.'

* * *

Natsu flew to his feet violently, his breath coming out in shudders as he took in his surroundings. He looked around for the blood, the bodies, or even the ship itself. He was surprised to see a lush forest around him, the birds chirping as the wind lightly rustled the leaves. He shook his head as everything started coming back to him. He had bonded his mind to the Vandal's and exchanged information in the most efficient way possible. He remembered how tired he had been. He had shut his eyes and let sleep claim him.

So what the hell was that dream about?

He looked over to where he remembered the Vandal was sleeping, noting that the creature was leaning against a tree, staring at him with tired eyes. Natsu decided to try and speak first.

"Can you understand me now?" The silence that followed was slightly worrying for Natsu.

"Yes?" The Vandal sounded unsure at it's own voice. It perked up in surprise before looking over to Natsu. "I can speak with your tongue so fluently. This is impressive, yes?"

"Yes it is. What is your name?"

"Parsix. In your language, I am called Parsix."

"Ok then, Parsix, why were those other Fallen going to kill you?"

The Vandal flinched before responding. "To support another House is an insult. Skolas was weak in how he guided the Wolves. I pointed it out, and was accused of being a supporter of House Judgement. To support House Judgement, is death."

"Why?"

"During the war for what you call 'The Reef', Skolas took control of House of Wolves, my... former... house, by killing our Kell. He in turn became Kell and led us to our slaughter. He was captured, and the Wolves were scattered to the winds. Ours was one of five Ketch under the Wolves' banner. Two were destroyed, three are left. Our Archon, Rosax, has taken command of the fleet. He has control of three Fallen Ketch. I spoke of how Skolas led the forces that we had spent decades growing and training to their doom, all for his pride. I spoke of how perhaps House Judgement wasn't the fools we made them to be, because they were still among the living. Rosax ordered my death. Had it not been for you heeding my calls for aid, I would be dead. For this, I vow to serve you. Just as House Judgement called that woman Queen, I call you my Kell..."

Natsu was at a loss for words. He had heard the rough translation from Specter, but to actually hear it from the Vandal, to hear the passion in it's deep and gravelly voice, was somewhat of a wake-up call for Natsu. He had read up on the Fallen, and while the Reef wars were still largely fresh and unknown to many outside of the active participants, Natsu had known who the obvious winner was when there was no Fallen army pounding down the walls. He had always figured that the Fallen had been wiped out after that. The way Zavala and Ikora spoke of the Fallen pointed to a greatly disorganized group of raiders and pirates. They spoke of them as bottom feeders and urchins of the alien variety. More clever than the Hive, but much easier to kill. Natsu had just taken these phrases at face value, having been a member of the military force opposing the Fallen. From what that dream had shown him though, Natsu just had to try and figure out if they had any merit.

"Hey, Parsix?"

"Yes?" The way the Vandal drew out the word seemed strange to Natsu, almost as if it knew what he was going to ask.

"Is there such a thing as the House Rain?" Natsu frowned when the Vandal across from him widened it's eyes. Natsu could see the glow of white from each of it's eyes before it responded.

"Where did you hear that name?"

"I... Had a dream... House Rain was mentioned at the end, and then I heard some kind of folk tale at the end. Why?"

"What was the tale you heard?" Parsix had suspiscion in his voice, and his eyes were narrowed. Natsu frowned before relaying what he remembered to the Vandal.

"According to the House Rain, the great machine would crown a mighty champion as Kell of Kells. What does that mean?"

The Vandal's response was to rear it's head back and let loose a mighty shriek and begin to laugh as if suddenly posessed. He jumped to his feet and began to dance, Natsu and Specter staring in confusion at the celbrating Vandal.

"It is a glorious day indeed, my Kell! To think that I would be the one to discover one so mighty! I had never imagined that the Kell of Kells would be a human, but surely stranger things have happened." The creature halted his dance as he stared at Natsu. "The House Rain was a House truly gifted by foresight. They were granted powers by the provider, great powers that allowed them to see the future that none of us could hope to predict. They are considered a myth, only believed in by the superstitious, just like our home planet. I am no fool though! I know that the House Rain was real. They were killed with our planet nearly five centuries ago, but they were always right. We saw the provider, I believe you call it the Traveler, as the Great Machine. It was told that it would pick a leader for us, and that leader would take the mantle of Kell of Kells. Legends began to emerge of what the Kell would look like. Many spoke that it would have a thousand arms, each one capable of crushing a planet in it's grasp. They spoke of how the Kell would see through the Darkness and kill the heart of the evil that killed our home. Many myths surround the Kell of Kells, but from what you have shown me, I know it is you. You were chosen by the provider, and your saving me has further proven it. I am to lead you to the Archon, where you will take command of the House of Wolves."

"Wait! How am I supposed to march on to a Fallen Ketch and meet no resistance? I'm strong, but that's suicide for me." Natsu was going to continue to speak, but Parsix raised his arms in the air and bellowed. Natsu raised an eyebrow and went silent as the Vandal yelled out.

"No, my Kell. They will not touch you if you challenge the Archon in the ways of old. Our history is lost to time, but the tradition remains as our rules. If you challenge him, then you will only fight him, and he will not be able to send anyone to fight you. To do so would be cowardly, and he would be stripped of his honor. He wouldn't risk it."

"Ok." Natsu felt like smacking himself as he agreed to the strange Vandal, but figured that wiping out an Archon would only help everyone at the Vanguard. He motioned to the Vandal. "How far away is the Ketch, and how long will it take us to get there?"

"It will take little more than a day to reach the Ketch, but only if we hurry. I can not guarantee how long the Ketch will be docked." The Vandal began to jog to the west, Natsu following him closely behind.

* * *

The sun wouldn't rise for two more hours, at least it wouldn't if Natsu's visor mounted clock was correct. Him and Parsix had jogged nearly forty miles to reach the coastline where the Ketch was docked. Natsu couldn't see to much, but the red lights adorning the edges of ship, Natsu had to estimate the vessel to be nearly a thousand meters long, and several hundred meters tall. It was shaped like an arrowhead, with a large cylindrical protrusion off of one side. The engine glowed a soft orange as the Ketch hovered gently over the shore line. Natsu spotted a ramp leading up to what looked like a loading deck, if the covered crates were anything to go by, and figured that would be the best mode of entrance. Motioning for Parsix to follow him, the two began to trek towards the entrance of the ship. Sneaking by the small sentry units, the quickly made their way on to the ship and in to the loading bay of the ship.

"Okay," Natsu turned to Parsix. "We're in the ship. Now how do I challenge the Archon? Where do I challenge him anyway?" Parsix looked to him silently for several seconds.

"I... Do not know..."

The sound of Natsu's gauntlet hitting his helmet echoed through the ship.

"Ok," Natsu clapped his hands together as Parsix began to look around the room they were in. "I say that we forget about the Archon. We aren't that far in to the ship, and the sun won't come up for at least another hour. Let's just-" Sirens began to ring out and the bay door that they had entered though slammed shut.

"No longer an option, my Kell..." Parsix began to dig through the crates in the bay, grunting in joy as it found some armour. It quickly strapped on the armour, throwing away the extra armour for the two arms he no longer had. Natsu pulled his scout rifle up and checked his ammo before chambering a round and standing next to Parsix.

"Fine. You lead the way. It was your home once anyway." Parsix nodded before drawing his blades and taking the lead. They both crept through the hallways, the only light begin the yellow strobes blinking in alarm. They checked every door they passed, finding each one locked. This continued for nearly fifteen minutes, finding either locked doors, or doors that led to other hallways which they were forced to follow. They eventually came upon a door that was large enough for Natsu to fit his ship through. It hissed loudly as the door opened before them, leading in to a large expanse of black. Natsu turned to Parsix, who merely shrugged before the two began to creep in to the room slowly. Natsu would have had Specter providing him light, but he didn't want to risk the Ghost. They crept slowly towards what they hoped was the center of the room when the lights all came on, momentarily causing Natsu to raise his hand up to shield his gaze. When he finally lowered his hand down, his blood ran cold.

There were nearly three dozan Fallen, most of which were Vandals and Captains, but what made Natsu most nervous was the six legged spider tank, and the huge creature leaning against it. It stood at nearly 20 feet tall, and was covered in a large red cloak. It's helmet was that of a Captain's, but three times larger. It stood with it's arms crossed as a deep growl rang through the room.

"Filthy exhile. Do you know no shame?"

Natsu stood in shocked silence as he listened to the Fallen leader speak. He could understand the creature! His mind was going a million miles an hour as he took in all of the information before realization struck him. He could understand the creature because he had taken the information from Parsix, much like the Fallen creature had taken the information of his language from him. 'It seems that I can't just take information... It must be exchanged...' His thoughts were interrupted when Parsix decided to speak.

"Shame? No, I feel pity. You and Skolas lead us to our death, and you expect us to be grateful? There is no honor for an empty house! Skolas would see us all dead if it brought him the head of a single human. Even going against the Servitor's words, you gave him your support and it cost us dearly! The Wolves were mighty, but now we are no more than a joke! I am not the one who should know shame, it is you Rosax!"

The roar that the Archon let loose shook the room. "You fool! They all bow before that horrendous machine and treat it like a god! They bow before the machine that chose them after abandoning us! They are inferior to us in every way! It is worth every single one of your meager lives to kill a single of their warriors!" The Fallen that were around the room seemed to want to let out a protest of any kind, but Natsu saw the fear in each of their postures. "And what is even worse, you brought that THING in here with you! I will take joy in executing you myself after dealing with this pest..."

"HOLD!"

The Fallen all turned in shock to stare at the guardian who had yelled out in their language. They all silently faced Natsu as he stepped in front of Parsix and pointed to the Archon. "I challenge you to single combat! On your honor as Eliksni and Archon you must accept my challenge. The winner will take control of the House of Wolves as Kell. What say you?"

The Archon raised his head back before barking out a deep laugh. "You dare to try and challenge me in the ways of old?! You are a bastard of the evil machine, and born without honor to any house, and you dare to challenge me. I, as Archon, do not see a need to accept your challenge. However," The Archon stepped away from the spider tank as it stood tall on it's legs, the turret mounted under the front section spinning up as the tank took a combat stance. "Defeat my prized walker, and I will give honest consideration to your challenge. Show me that you are capable of honor, and I will consider your challenge..." The Archon walked from the room, the Vandals and Captains leaving the room behind him. Natsu turned his attention back to the tank before turning back to Parsix.

"Stay hidden. And this had better be worth it..."

Natsu flew from behind his cover and scouted in his rifle to the tank's front leg before firing off a shot. He watched the round tear through the latch holding on a heavier plate to the leg. The plate fell uselessly to the ground, revealing the carbon tubing and hydraulic joints. The tanks turned itself slightly, the now weakened leg facing away from Natsu, before the barrel of the tank aimed at Natsu. He watched the machine brace itself as a small laser became visible, the red line pointing at Natsu's feet. He jumped to the air before activating his booster pack, the pack lifting him another twenty feet in to the air as the round slammed in to the ground beneath him. The shockwave caused his pack to sputter, throwing him harshly to the side. He slammed against a broken portion of a Skiff before sliding to the ground, his visor lighting up to inform him that his pack was no longer functional. He grunted before standing back up and facing the tank, which had braced itself once more, but instead of firing, several flaps on it's side opened and several Shanks poured out. The small floating turrets hovered towards him, but a ball of fire stuck to the one in the front before exploding violently, the fireball that it made consumed the other Shanks. Natsu lifted his rifle and fired off several more shots, but could only curse as none of them hit the latch holding the heavy plate over the leg. He ducked behind cover and reloaded his scout rifle as he prepared for the coming fight.

* * *

It had taken nearly an hour of Natsu battling the tank to get it where it was now. It was missing the plating over four of it's six legs, and the minigun mounted underneath it was broken with a well placed grenade. He had taken several hits as well, with his shield module being severely weakened to 15 percent, meaning that a direct hit would wipe him out, and a close call would disable his shield. He ducked his head down as another explosion rocked the wall just in front of his cover, he would have to find a way to end this quickly or he wouldn't make it to the Archon. Shaking himself out of his stupor, he channeled his light to the matrix on his wrist before leaping out of cover and drawing his bow in to existence before firing an arrow directly under the tank. The effect was instant as the tank was pulled to the ground, it's weakened legs no longer able to support it's massive weight. It slammed down with a metalic groan before the front head piec of the unit opened to reveal the sensitive components that controlled the unit. Natsu channeled as much light as he could to his arms as he harnessed his flames. A loud clank roared out before a flaming hammer slammed itself in to the tank's exposed weakness, punching in one side and out the other, the metal spider falling down uselessly before exploding in a large ball of flame and shrapnel. Natsu shielded his face before facing the flaming remains of the Fallen walker. There was a loud crackle before a voice rang over the intercom.

"Very good, Filth. You have earned enough of my attention to challenge me. I accept your challenge... Now," A door against a wall to Natsu's left opened up. "Come to speak with me in person. Do not take too long, as we are both so busy, what with you feeding off of that machine like a parasite, and me planning with how I'm going to kill that traitor who brought you here in the slowest possible manner..."

Parsix stood next to Natsu. "Please do not lose, my Kell. I do not wish to die on this day..."

"Relax. You said I'm this Kell of prophecy, right? I figure that means I have SOME kind of chance of survival..."

"Yes..." Parsix seemed hesitant before continuing. "But Skolas was also declaring himself as the Kell of Kells... And he is now held prison by the Nine, as they torture him constantly... Not to mention that they are likely-"

"Parsix." Natsu interrupted the rambling Vandal.

"Yes, my Kell?"

"Why is it that I seem to find out information from you AFTER it would be pertinent to know?!" Steam erupted off of him as the Vandal flinched and bowed quickly, the sound of his knee and fist hitting the ground echoing through the chamber.

"My deepest apologies, my Kell! I had though that you would not have accepted the challenge for Kell had you known the risks..."

"You're fuckin' right I wouldn't have!" Natsu ranted to the kneeling Eliksni before taking several deep breaths and pulling the Vandal to his feet. "But... We're here now, and I've already taken the job. I never have backed out of a job, and I've never failed one." The image of the Vex that had taken him from his home flashed across his mind. "Okay, well I've failed once, but I honestly thought I was going to die, so it didn't matter too much at the time. Anyway, I've almost never failed a job I've taken, so let's keep that 99 percent success rate from dropping lower. C'mon, let's move." They continued to walk down the hallway before they entered in to the Archon's chamber.

The Archon watched from his throne while the bastard of the machine and the outcast filth entered his chamber. The room was vast, with large red banners hanging from the cieling and sprawling to the floor. The mark of the Wolves, his mark, were all displayed proudly upon the banners. A massive servitor was docked in to the wall, rotating and staring at the intruders in the chamber. It regarded them with a narrowing lense before whirring loudly and screeching in alarm. The Archon rose from his seat quickly before leaping in front of the two challengers and standing tall.

"I am Rosax, Archon to the House of Wolves, and current commander of the Wolves' fleet. You stand before me as a challenger, your terms are that the victor of our match shall lead the House of Wolves, and the loser shall have his arms removed in dishonor. What say you to the terms?"

"I am Natsu Dragneel, son of the Fire Dragon King, and precursor to the throne. I am stolen by Darkness and revived by Light from the Traveler. I have seen the past of your people, and watched the results of your squabbles for power as your race dies. I have heard the call of House Rain, and am here to see the prophecy fulfilled. I accept your terms."

"Then let us duel with honor."

"Awfully kind of you, isn't it?"

"I aim to tear you limb from limb, but you challenged me in the ways of old, and in our tongue no less. You know our language, and claim to know our history, so there must be a modicrum of honor in you somewhere." With those words, Rosax slammed his arms down on Natsu, launching him backwards against a wall. He slammed in to it as his visor notified him that his shield module was completely destroyed. With that gone, Natsu wouldn't be able to take any hits. He stood quickly and jumped away as the Archon's massive foot slammed in to the position that he was previously. He sprinted away from the charging Archon as Rosax pulled a large cannon that was strapped to his back and shouldered it. Several flares of fire flew through the air towards the fleeing guardian.

Natsu saw several bursts of flame impact the walls around him, which only encouraged him to run faster. He ducked behind a pillar and caught his breath for a moment before a voice in his head broke his focus.

'Why are you hiding?'

'Igneel?'

'Yes, brat, now answer my question!' The voice of his father echoed through his head, causing him to flinch.

'He's shooting at me with a shoulder mounted cannon. My shields are bloown to hell, and I don't want to risk Specter for a revive.' The roar he recieved in response made him want to cower. He settled instead for flinching again and peeking to see where Rosax was, only to duck as another explosion of fire rocked the pillar he was leaning against. 'That shot will kill me easily...' He was shocked when his father merely scoffed.

'What are those shots made of?'

'Pain and explosions?'

'Focus stupid! Are they shooting projectiles at you, or just energy?'

'Energy, from what I can see...' Natsu couldn't see where this was going.

'And what is that energy made of? Don't say pain and explosions again or I will hit you so hard in here that you'll have bruises out there.'

Natsu gulped before looking at the rounds impacting the area around him. They would come in a blaze of fire and explode violently, showering him in sparks and embers. 'They're made of... fire...' Realization sturck him as his father chuckled.

'That's right. And what element can you eat?'

'Fire!'

'Well technically you could eat energy from whatever if you knew how to convert it- nevermind. Yes, fire.'

'Wait you said-'

'FOCUS!'

Natsu snapped his gaze forward as he took several deep breaths. His hands moved up to his helmet, the latches snapping loudly, though he couldn't hear it over the thrumming of his heart, as he pulled it off of his head. The tang of oiled metal flooded his senses before the overwhelming stink of the Archon hit him. He waved a hand in front of his face for a moment, "God does he eat garbage and shit sulfur?" he muttered to himself before taking a calming breath before jumping out of cover and standing in front of the Rosax, the Archon taking a moment to notice his removed helmet before commenting on it.

"You think I won't kill you if I can see your face? I will drink in your expression as I kill you slowly..." The Archon laughed as he shouldered his cannon and fired at Natsu, only to shriek in surprise as the human in front of him reared his head back and inhaled the round. The flames were quickly sucked in to the man's mouth until nothing was left of the shot.

Natsu wiped his mouth before a savage grin came over his face. He felt as if his energy had spiked suddenly, and couldn't contain his glee at the panicked expression on the Archon's face. Breaking in to a sprint, he fired himself like a bullet to the Eliksni Archon, who could only rear back and shout in alarm as the human impacted roughly against his chest. They both toppled to the ground, Natsu laughing as he straddled the Archon, who lifted two of his arms to protect his face while the other two moved to throw the guardian from him. Natsu dodged the punch aimed for him before igniting his fists and sending a punch to meet the fist that the Archon was sending his way in the middle. The two fists collided, but Natsu's being charged with fire and armoured, sent Natsu's fist through the Archon's hand. Rosax pulled his hand back and shrieked in pain and drew his arm back, only to notice that his hand was completely gone, only seared flesh and shattered bone remained. He roared loudly before sending another fist to the guradian only to scream when he recieved the same ending as before, the scent of burnt flesh invading the senses of both human and Eliksni as Natsu jumped away from the Archon and allowed him to stand back up.

"Pest!" The Archon screamed as he climbed to his feet and steadied himself out, the hands on his bottom two arms now uselessly tucked against his chest. The beast growled in pain before charging the guardian once more. Natsu managed to jump out of the way of the Archon as the creature stomped the ground that he was once standing on. Natsu delivered a flaming punch to Rosax's extending leg, hearing a wet crunching sound when the punch connected. The Archon wailed as he sunk to the ground, his leg now bent out at a strange angle. He turned his glowing gaze to the guardian in fury as Natsu slowly walked up to the Archon.

"Yield."

"I would never bear the shame as an Archon Priest to yield to a human, much less a leech of the machine."

Natsu stared coldly at the Archon before turning to where Parsix had hidden himself. Calling the Vandal over, Parsix quickly sprinted over to the guardian, but made sure to keep his distance from the furious Archon.

"Yes, my Kell?" They both ignored the Archon snorting in both pain and anger.

"Your swords..." The Vandal drew the blades before the presenting them to the human who was standing before the defeated Archon. Natsu held the blades in his hands as he tested the wieght, clicking his tongue in satisfaction.

"These blades that you use... Beautifully balanced... Strong too..."

"They're made to cut through the parasites that you humans are, no matter how thick the armour." The Archon spoke with a pained pride as he glared at Natsu, knowing his fate as the guardian walked forward and kicked the Archon in the chest, causing him to stumble on to his back. Natsu slowly stepped forward, climbing up the Archon's torso as he stood on his chest. Rosax raised his gaze to meet the human's stern glare.

"It's a shame that you didn't yield. You know how the challenge works though, 'refusal to yield results in death,' yes?"

The Archon roared one last time as he raised both of his arms to strike the guardian, but Natsu was quick to drive both of the blades in to the mask of the Archon, the sound of armour scratching against the blades as bone and flesh were torn echoed loudly through the chamber. Rosax's arms fell uselessly to his sides as the Archon was slain. Parsix reared his head back and shrieked before bowing. The doors to the chamber slid open and countles Eliksni poured in to remove the remains of the human, only to stop in shock at the human standing victorious over their dead Archon. Growls rang out as the creatures began to shuffle and reach for their weapons before Natsu drew the blades from the Archon's head and held them above his head.

"I will take ANY who dare to challenge me! I take my place as Kell of the House of Wolves, and any who oppose me shall be dishonored and fed to the Hive!" The fact that Natsu bellowed out the challenge in the Eliksni language caused many to pause. Slowly, the growls turned to murmurs before, one by one, they began to bow. Natsu watched the countless horde before him bend at the knee. He sighed as he walked over to the Servitor on the wall, the large sphere began to chirp and hum as it stared at the one who defeated the Archon. Natsu held out his hand out and rested his palm against the orb as Specter appeared alongside him. The Ghost stared at the Servitor before turning to Natsu.

"Trust me." The guardian spoke to his Ghost as he held out his free hand.

"Never doubted you." The Ghost rested inside of Natsu's palm as the man began to channel his light between the two, creating a circuit and linking the Ghost to the Servitor. The large machine bellowed out for several moments before it seemed to calm down and chirp lowly, it's lense focusing between Natsu and the Ghost. The link continued for several minutes before Natsu cut the link, allowing Sprecter to float from his hand before turning to the Servitor.

"You can understand?"

"Affirmative." The machine bellowed out.

"Assemble the fleet. Let them know of their new Kell. Let them know that I am human, and that I defeated their Archon with my bare hands..."

"Order recieved. Issued. Fleet assembling on our location. One hour."

Natsu turned and walked over to the throne that Rosax had been occupying when he first entered the chamber. Brushing the seat off, he sat down in it and looked to his kneeling Eliksni. "Remove this body from my chambers!" He barked out the order. Several Dregs were quick to jump up and begin to drag the body of Rosax from the room. The other looked to Natsu with unease, many refusing to meet his gaze as quiet growls and whines echoed throughout the chamber. "Be at ease for now. Return to your duties, and return to me when the other ships have arrived." The Fallen seemed quite eager to follow his order as all but Parsix sprung to their feet and fled the room. Natsu let his head fall back and rest against the back of the throne as he let his thoughts take over for a bit.

* * *

Natsu stood before the army of Fallen warriors in slight awe. There were upwards of a thousand of the warriors, and while most were Dregs, there were still around 200 Captains and almost double that in Vandals. They all stood before Natsu as the three Ketches created an ominous shadow for any watching. They gathered before the ship that Natsu was on and stared as they waited for Natsu to speak. Many scoffed and laughed as he emerged from the ship, but it was all silenced when the body of Rosax was brought out after him.

They all kneeled after that.

"I know that your house has suffered the most since the war. Your Kell was murdered, and a fool dared to take their place. Skolas let you die without honor to pacify his thirst for power, and Rosax was no better. To be a true leader, you must be willing to put forth the effort to save your people. What is an empire with nobody in it? I seek to lead all of you to peace, and we will do so away from this dying planet. Those who would support me, kneel. Those who feel they can not, stand."

While he was pleased to see a majority of the Dregs and Vandals continue to kneel, he frowned when more than half of the Captains stood uneasily. Natsu hopped from the ship and walked in to the crowd towards the standing Captains. The kneeling Eliksni around him began to growl and speak in low nervous tones as Natsu walked up to the first Captain he could.

"You do not wish for peace?"

"It is not that..." The Captain began in a nervous tone. "It is not even that you are a human. It is that many of us who stand swore oath to Skolas long before he took the mantle of Kell. His body was never given to us, meaning that he is alive. We swore to honor him and to follow him, and we can not simply break that honor because something better has come along. Many here believe in you and your words, but some of us are honor bound to serve Skolas as his Wolves." The Captain flinched when Natsu brought his hand to it's shoulder, but when it met Natsu's grin, it sighed in relief.

"It is okay. I knew that many wouldn't follow for one reason or another. Your strength will be missed, but I understand that a promise must be kept. I will allow you to maintain your honor, and will even aid you." The standing Fallen all looked at him questioningly before Natsu spoke. "I have three Ketch, but with so many of you leaving, I fear I wouldn't be able to take all three with me to the promise land so easily. I grant the followers of Skolas a Ketch, as a show of respect for those who wouldn't dare break their oath! I can't say I respect your Kell, but I will respect your devotion to him. Go now, and may your journey be met with reward."

The Fallen that were standing gave their thanks as they boarded the Ketch with offerings of weapons or collections of ether seeds. Natsu refused them all kindly, stating that their journey would be one which would require all of their resources. He stood with his new followers as the Wolves' Ketch broke away from the shore and shot in to orbit, it's cloaking mechanism turning on as the ship vanished in to the afternoon sun.

It was a good thing he didn't know their fate for following Skolas.

Natsu turned to the other Fallen, all watching him anxiously as he walked towards the ship. He stopped in seeing an odd group of Vandals standing in modified armour kneeling in front of him. He looked at them in confusion before Parsix spoke.

"They are called Splicers by your people. They modify themselves with technology to gain the upper hand in battle. They are our brightest engineers and builders, most are responsible for our ships and weapons, not to mention they create the Shanks and Servitors."

"Engineers huh?" Natsu pondered it. He would need engineers to build whatever gateway would take him home. He nodded in satisfaction as he pat Parsix on the shoulder and continued in to the ship. "Hey can I leave you in charge for a while? I need you to drop me off at these coordinates, and then I want you to take our ships and hide."

"Hide? Would you not show us to your military?"

"That... Would be a bad idea." Natsu shuddered as he tried to imagine how Zavala would react to seeing two Fallen Ketch flying towards the Traveler. "Besides, I just took leadership of your house. Even if it all seems smooth, I don't want to risk any tensions to rise between the Vanguard and us. Just take me to these coordinates," he gave Parsix the coordinates to an area just a few miles away from his pick up point. "And hide the ships behind the Moon. They rarely send scouting parties up that way, so you should be safe if you keep the cloaking up on the ships. I'm tuned to the same frequency as the Pilot Servitor, so when I need to issue an order, you'll get it and meet me where I tell you to meet me. Got it?"

"Of course, my Kell." Parsix seemed delighted as they walked on to the ship, most of the other Fallen gathered to their ships as they prepared to leave.

* * *

"So, Natsu... See anything strange going on your hike back?"

"No Cayde, I didn't. Why do you ask?" Natsu eyed Cayde suspiciously. The Exo had been staring at him constantly since he had picked him up from their rendevous point an hour earlier. He hadn't spoken a word to Natsu until just now, which made Natsu all the more suspicious.

"No reason. No reason. It's just we had several reports come in of three Fallen Ketch just a few dozen miles from your last reported check in. Figured you may have seen something..."

"Nope. Can't say I saw anything..." Natsu said in a bored tone to the Exo, who had gotten up to sit right next to him on the shuttle. The Exo pulled a knife from his sheath and began to toss the blade in his grip, the sharpened knife doing lazy flips with every toss.

"Wierd... Because I saw quite a bit... Kell." The blade was torn from the air as Natsu was thrown to the ground. Cayde sat perched on the guardian's back as he held his arms in place behind him. Natsu sturggled in the Exo's grasp before stilling as the man placed his blade against Natsu's neck. "Easy, Natsu. If I was going to kill you, I would've taken the shot the moment you were giving your little speech. You know, Zavala would have you executed if he saw your little heart to heart with the Fallen. So I'm gonna let you up, but first you gotta tell me, how and why?"

"You said a hunter uses every weapon at their disposal for victory. Mine is the knowledge I posess and the ability to exchange great quantities of information. I came in to it accidentally, but I'd be a fool to not take advantage of it. As to why, I need to get home, and you tell me just how many, of our like twenty mechanincs, would Zavala be willing to give me to build a trans-dimensional warp gate? That's tech that isn't easy to make, and even harder to allot resources to. Face it, I'm on my own as far as getting home goes."

Cayde let his arm go and helped him stand, Natsu stood and brushed himself off lightly before sitting back down. Cayde sat across from him as they both silently watched eachother.

"Does Zavala know?"

"Nope. Seemed to slip my mind in my last report, and I haven't started my next one yet."

"And Ikora?"

"She'd understand, but also no. Just you and me. And your army. Can't forget your army..."

"Can we keep it that way?"

"For now," There was a pregnant pause as the two stared at eachother. "Yes. I can keep them in the dark for now, but you should notify the Speaker. He will at least be happy to know that there isn't two Ketches that are going to try and breech the walls..."

"Yeah. I will..."

"So... you gonna tell Amanda?"

"I'm so not dealing with this right now!"

"Aww, don't be like that!"

* * *

So, I came down with something getting infected from a bad tooth. Had to go to the hospital for it. A week and three grand later, I'm better.

Brush your damn teeth daily.

Had to miss work, but I had four days of recovery that I used to type out new chapters. Typed up three. Just looked at them last night.

All terrible.

Never try to write while high on pain meds. They're all gone now, and it looks like I'll have to extend my deadline by a week or two more before Natsu returns home. Hopefully this makes up for it. It should be smooth sailing from here on out tough.

Leave a review and let me know how I'm doing. Seriously, reviews are like the only gratification us authors get, and it means a lot to know where we could improve and that people are enjoying it.

Temper


	15. Chapter 15

Light

Chapter 15

* * *

"That is quite an achievement, if I do say so myself, Natsu" The Speaker's calm voice echoed throughout the empty chamber. Natsu had held up his word to Cayde and confessed his newly aquired status to the Speaker. The man had remained silent until the very end of Natsu's report, only standing from his seat and walking over to the balcony overlooking the city. "I understand why you would be hesitant to inform anyone about this. Can you guarantee their loyalty to you?"

"They bow before my power, but I'm not too sure about ther level of respect. I am new to this, and I think they're just waiting to see how this all pans out for them."

"You did promise them a paradise free from the Traveler and Darkness. Are you sure you can uphold your end of the bargain?" The Speaker didn't have doubt in his words, just genuine curiosity. Natsu took a moment to think about everything back home in Earthland, and could only hesitantly nod.

"It's a big world. I spent many years exploring it, and only covered a single continent, and honestly there was much to it that I didn't see. I feel that there is more than enough room for them on my planet, and there is always the moon of Earthland if they can not find a place on the planet." The Speaker chuckled.

"Earthland. I find it humorous that your planet is so closely named to ours. I wonder if the stars are the same. Tell me, do you know any constellations on your home planet?"

"I'm afraid I don't." Natsu shook his head sadly. "I had never considered it relevant to my wants, and thus I took it for granted. I am reminded constantly of things I took for granted of my home."

"You must miss it greatly..." The Speaker seemed sympathetic to the pink haired guardian. Natsu only nodded gently before settling his gaze to the floor.

"I do... I never realized how peaceful it was. Here, I can never truly relax. I'm always on guard because I'm always on call. The walls could come under attack at any time, and I will pay what I owe and help defend them. I just wish the only threats in this world were outside the walls..."

"You speak of Jack?" The Speaker asked curiously.

"Yes," Natsu admitted after a moment of thought. "How can I be expected to relax when I seem to have made such large ripples as to have strangers trying to kill me, or the person I love?"

"You mean Amanda?"

"Of course!" Natsu exclaimed before lowering his voice back down. "She is my light in this world. When I thought I had lost her in the hangar, I was ready to tear everything apart. I hope you understand that I will always place her above everything else in this world, including the Vanguard..." Natsu felt it was important to make the obvious known. The Speaker merely gave a soft chuckle and waved his hand.

"There is no need for that. I understand what love can make a man in to. The strongest people are the ones who have something more than themselves to fight for. I've watched many men lose themselves to the monsters in all of us when their humanity is stripped away. She is the tether to your humanity, and what keeps you from being a mindless killing machine. I respect that, and so long as our interests continue to run along the same path, you have nothing to fear."

"And if they diverge?"

The Speaker was silent for several seconds. "I will be sure to inform you. You have served the Vanguard faithfully and followed your orders. I see no need to have the mechanics sabotage your ship and have you explode outside of my hangar."

"You know you just admitted to killing Jack right?"

The Speaker chuckled again and waved his hand at Natsu before stretching. "This Tower and the others are my responsibility. I must ensure the safety and happiness of the factions and Vanguard, even if they are unaware. I will do absolutely anything to insure the peace under my reign, even if it means snuffing out a few pests here and there..."

"Riiight." Natsu spoke slowly as a bead of sweat ran down his face. "So what should we do about my new status?"

"What status? This whole conversation was you informing me of the state of the old city for the purpose of training and crucible matches. You certainly didn't tell me that you're the new Kell for the Wolves, and if you somehow did, it slipped my mind. I will take your report in the morning over the status of the area, and Zavala will NOT know of anything other than what is written in the reports handed to me by Cayde-6 and yourself. I believe we have an understanding, correct?"

Natsu grinned before standing from his seat and walking towards the exit of the chambers. "Right. I'll leave you be. I've got a metal legged firecracker waiting for me at home, and it's nearly quitting time for you."

"Oh, and Natsu." The Speaker's voice rang out after him. He quickly turned and faced the masked man with one eyebrow raised. "Should you or your 'scouts' find anything interesting, like Golden Age tech or blueprints, do make sure we recieve them. Just because you're a visitor in charge of scavengers and pirates doesn't mean you get to keep everything you find to yourself. I think that'll be acceptable for my silence. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Excellent, now shoo. I have a military to run, and you have an angry mechanic at home. Maybe just this once, I pity you." The Speaker turned to his desk as Natsu left the chambers while chuckling.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't trade her for the world."

* * *

"Fuck off!"

"Babe! Let me in the damn apartment! I've been gone for months and I need a shower!" Natsu banged on the door of his shared apartment. He had hoped to come home to his loving girlfriend and relax, but it seemed as if she was angered by something. He had found his door locked, and nothing seemed to coax her to opening the door.

"I said fuck off!"

"Yes I heard you, you psycho midget, but the question is why?"

"What did you just call me?!"

"I said I love you very much and missed you dearly! Now open the fucking door!"

"No!"

"Fine!" Natsu took several steps back from the door. "Stand back!"

"Don't you dare kick down my door again, you dick!"

"I'm gonna. Now stand back!" He didn't give her a chance to respond when he stepped forward and planted his foot firmly next to the doorknob. He heard the metal groan before a loud snap rang out and the door flew open. Natsu placed his leg back down and angrily strode in to his apartment and slammed the door behind him, not caring that it no longer latched shut. His main focus was on the angry blonde staring at him from the kitchen.

"You're in now, happy? Now shower and change and then fuck off!"

"Not until you tell me what's wrong." Natsu took several cautious steps towards his girlfriend, only pausing when she hurled an empty glass at him. He dodged it quickly before rushing at her and pulling her in to his arms. Now that he held her, he could smell the whisky on her breath. She beat her fists against him, but Natsu held her firm. Her hits began to get weaker and weaker until she stopped hitting him altogether and held him by his shoulders and buried her face in his neck. Her body shook with several small sobs before he heard her speak.

"You promised."

"What?"

"You promised you'd be back for my birthday. It was two days ago... I made two cakes and everything because you told me how much you liked how I made it." She let out another shuddering breath before a small whine escaped her and she buried her face in his chest again.

Natsu felt like shit.

He had promised her that he would be back in time to celebrate with her, and he had broken that promise. He hadn't broken a promise since his time on Earthland. He buried his nose in to Amanda's hair and gently rocked her back and forth as her sobs gently died down. He slowly guided her over to the couch and sat down and pulled her with him. She lied across the couch, resting her head in his lap as he gently played with her hair. Her sobs had toned down to the occasional sniffle. She turned her bloodshot eyes to him.

"I had gotten all pretty for you. Did my hair and even got make-up. I even got approval for a week off so that we could spend time together and you could tell me about your training. I lit candles and everything, but you never came..."

"I'm so sorry, Amanda. I tried, I really did. I finished my training nearly two weeks early, and I would've been back, but Cayde decided I needed to test myself out in the wild. A lot has happened since then." Natsu spoke gently as he brushed the tears off of her cheeks. She sighed and leaned in to his palm as he pet her face.

"Like what? Did you adopt a pet or something?"

"Or something would be an apt description..." Natsu spoke after a moment of pause. Amanda turned her gaze to stare in to his eyes.

"Can you show me your new pet? Is it a wolf or a fox, or maybe a kitten? I always wanted to have a cat, but I never had the time to take care of one. I used to have a spider in the hangar, but Sergei smashed it. He's so scared of spiders! This one time..."

Natsu gently pet her hair with a smile on his face as the whisky decided it was time for her to ramble in a drunken stupor.

"Tell you what, let's get all showered and cleaned up for bed, and I'll show you tomorrow. I've been hiking and fighting for the last few months, and I just want to curl up with my beautiful girlfriend in our comfy bed and sleep for gods know how long."

"Ok. Will you rub my back before bed?"

"Sure."

Natsu stood and helped his girlfriend stand before they both walked over to the bathroom, Natsu making sure to grab a change of clothes and a couple of towels while Amanda started up the shower. He walked in to the bathroom the find his girlfriend already stripped naked and in the process of climbing in to the shower. She stepped under the spray of water and Natsu heard her groan happily as he got himself undressed. He climbed in moments later, and the two began the process of washing. Natsu briefly considered fooling around in the shower, but figured it should wait until Amanda was sober and he wasn't so mentally drained. Once they had finished showering, Natsu shut the water off and they both climbed out and began to dry themselves. Amanda finished first and began to dig through the clothes that Natsu had brought in with him before turning to the man.

"Where are my clothes?"

"Uuhh..."

Amanda sighed before grabbing his shirt and putting it on. The shirt hung loosely over her, draping down above her knees. Natsu stared at her, and quickly decided that was his favorite outfit for her to wear. She turned to face him, and upon taking in his stupified expression, could only roll her eyes. "Come on." She hurried him in to drying himself faster before they both stepped in to the hallway. They both faced the doorway to each of their rooms before turning back to eachother and staring. Natsu was the first to speak.

"Yours or mine?"

"Your room is probably cleaner. Mine is... messy." Amanda didn't really want her boyfriend to see the empty whisky bottles and dirty clothes thrown about the room. Natsu merely nodded before gesturing her towards his room. She walked quietly, the only sound being the slight thud of her metal leg on the hardwood floors. Natsu went in to the kitchen and grabbed a tall glass of water before walking back in to his room. Amanda had already sprawled herself out over his bed and was nuzzling her face in to his pillow.

"Why are you doing that?" He questioned quizically. Her response was to lift her head up and stick her tongue out at him before responding.

"Your pillows are soft, and they smell good."

"Oka~y." Natsu walked over and sat on the edge of his bed before gesturing Amanda to sit up as well. She did, but not without complaint. Natsu handed her the tall glass of water. She took it from him and stared at him in question. "Drink it." Natsu half ordered as she tipped the glass up and began to drink the water. "It'll help make sure you don't have too much of a hangover in the morning." Amanda burped gently before setting the glass on the bedside table. She turned to Natsu and grinned.

"Okay. I drank my water and we got all cleaned up. Now, you owe me a back rub."

"Yeah yeah." Natsu looked over to see her already lying face down on his bed, her head rocking back and forth as she inhaled the scent of his pillows. He rolled his eyes before placing his hands on her back and gently kneading her muscles. The response was immediate as Amanda moaned and lulled her head to the side. Natsu could see the small smile on her face as he massaged her neck and shoulders. He channeled a bit of heat to his hands as he massaged her, and was rewarded with a drawn out groan and his girlfriend stretching out like a cat. He continued his massage for nearly twenty minutes before he was rewarded with the sound of light snores. He peeked up at Amanda's face, only to hold back a chuckle when he saw his girlfriend passed out with a small bit of drool on the pillow she was occupying. He grinned as he climbed over her and lie down next to her. She moved around a bit in her sleep and back herself against him in an effot to feel his warmth. Natsu rolled on to his side and placed his arm over her stomach as he pulled her closer, causing her to sigh and cuddle deeper in to his heat as her small snores echoed in to the room. Natsu kissed her on the temple before resting his head down on his own pillow and letting sleep claim him. As slumber consumed him, neither him nor Amanda noticed the small tendrils of light creep out of Natsu's hand and in to Amanda.

* * *

"Where the hell am I?"

It was a fair question for Amanda to ask. One minute, she was falling in to sweet bliss from her boyfriend's massage, and the next minute she was in a fiery lava scape. She walked around slowly, making sure to give the rivers of lava a wide berth, and found herself drawn towards a large cave in the side of one of the mountains that wasn't a volcano. She approached the cave opening and heard a deep rumble that sounded eerily like a chuckle. Amanda felt herself rooted in place as two large yellow eyes stared from the darkness of at her.

"So, the first mate comes to meet her father in law... Hello, human." The head that the eyes wer attatched to made itself known as the large red dragon made itself visible by stepping from the mouth of the cave. Amanda stumbled backwards and fell on to her ass as the dragon stood proudly before her. He extended his wings out and shook the dirt from them before letting them fold back up against him.

"What the fuck kind of dream is this?" Amanda hollered at the dragon before standing up and pacing around. The fire dragon could only stare in confusion as the human woman began to pace back and forth. "I get it, my body is punishing me for drinking, but a fucking dragon? Where the fuck did this even come from, because I sure as hell don't think I've ever had the dream before."

"I am no dream!" The dragon rumbled out patiently.

"Is it because I'm in love with a man from another dimension who claims to have been raised by a dragon?"

"I said-"

"I heard you, you big scaly bitch!" The blonde stabbed a finger at the annoyed dragon. "But the fact that you're in MY head while the last thing I'm remembering is passing out in my boyfriend's room means that something is all kinds of fucked, so you can just fuck off and let me think."

"Don't hurt yourself, runt."

"Fuck you."

The two sat in silence for what felt like hours, merely staring at each other. The blonde woman's brow was ticking to show her annoyance, which was matched with the dragon flicking the tip of it's tail back and forth in irritation. Any attempts for him to speak with her led to her calling him some name and telling him to 'fuck off', much to his growing ire. The blonde finally sighed before facing the dragon, who could only continue to flick his tail in irritation, but didn't say a word otherwise.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"What the fuck do I have to do to move from this dream to something a bit more pleasant?"

"I told you this isn't a dream, runt." The dragon growled as he lowered his head towards the blonde and puffing a smoking breath over her. Amanda squinted as the oderless smoke washed over her before staring back at the dragon.

"Okay, I'll bite. If this isn't a dream, which it obviously is, then who are you and where am I?"

"You're in my soul, I guess." Amanda whipped around to see her boyfriend standing next to the mouth of the cave the dragon had come out of, his arms crossed and a slight frown on his face.

"Natsu, why the hell are you here?"

"I just said, this is my soul. Uhh... welcome?" Natsu held his arms out hesitantly as he stared at the blonde. Amanda shook her head before nodding to the dragon.

"Who's this then? Your inner beast?"

"No." Natsu spoke slowly. "That's my dad." There was a long pause as the two stared at each other.

"Come again?"

"He said that I am his father." The dragon grumbled out as he stood tall once again and peered down at the blonde. "My name is Igneel, and I would say it is a pleasure to meet my son's first mate, but I don't tend to exchange pleasantries with some who cals me a 'big scaly bitch'..." The only sign of the mighty beast's anger was the twitching of his brow. Natsu began to chuckle at the phrase before it evolved in to full blown laughter. The dragon merely turned his anger on the man and flicked him with one enormous claw, sending the pink haired man flying. Amanda watched Natsu fly across the ground before impacting a large boulder and stopping. He slowly stood back up and glared at the chuckling dragon.

"Prick!"

"Hey!" Both man and dragon stared at the angry blonde as she stormed over to the pink haired guardian and began to throttle him. "Start talking. Why am I here? How am I here? And why the fuck is your dad in your body?"

Natsu shook the dizziness from his head before grabbing his girlfriend's hands and gently prying them from around his throat. "I'm not too sure as to why you're here. I got sucked in here, and assumed it was to deal with something to do with my other half."

"Who the fuck is your other half? Is there more than this big bastard in here? How the hell do you have so much room here anyway? Isn't a sould supposed to be small and tranquil and somewhat imaginary?"

"Maybe for beings of this dimension," Igneel spoke calmly as he let his thoughts wander. "But Natsu is from a place where a soul is a very real and very tangible thing. It is real here as well, as even now I can sense it in you, but for the people of Earthland, it is the source of their power. Magic is linked between body and soul, and the use of it requires balance and understanding of one's own self. Even before he was blessed with whatever magic this 'Light' classifies as, he was blessed with the use of magic." Amanda turned to Natsu, who was looking at her with a small grin on his face, no doubt feeling a bit smug about his father's small praise, and raised a single brow.

"So can you pull a rabbit out of your ass or something?" Natsu nearly fell over and Igneel's laughter was so loud that Amanda felt it reverberate through her bones. The dragon slowed to a few small chuckles before finally calming himself enough to speak.

"I like you." The dragon stated, much to Amanda's small amount of joy, before continuing. "You are so far my favorite, though you are the first one I have met." Amanda turned to the dragon in slight confusion.

"The first? What are you talking about?"

Natsu wanted to speak first, but Igneel beat him to it. "The first of his mates, of course. You are the first one share such a connection with my son, and while your personality is brash," Natsu blanched at the dragon's bluntness. "You leave no doubt to the love you feel for my son. You are a fine mate, and I can only hope you and the others will do your best to help him."

"Others?" Igneel crushed Natsu under a massive clawed hand before the man could speak and added.

"Yes. His other mates."

The silence that enveloped the group was chilling, and Natsu almost wished the hand crushing him oculd actually kill him to get him away from the chilled feeling in his chest. Igneel raised his fist up and allowed Natsu to stand. The guardian grumbled as he dusted himself off, only to come face to face with a once more angered blonde, but he could tell this anger was much more pronounced than earlier.

"Other mates?! What the fuck is he talking about Natsu? Have you been cheating on me? Is that where you were for the last few months? Had Cayde lie to cover your ass and went off to go fuck some bimbo in the city for a few months? Was she pretty? Did she have both of her fucking legs? Was she moaning your name while you fucked her? Is that why you missed my birthday you cheating asshole?! I hate you!" Natsu tried to stop her from hitting him too much, but the hurt look and betrayal in her eyes was enough to break his heart. He let the blows hit him continuously as the blonde screamed in anger and struck the man furiously. Natsu could only stare with tears in his eyes as the blonde woman continued to say such hateful things to him, each word doing more to hurt him than her fists ever could. It went for less than a minute before Igneel finally grabbed the blonde in a loose fist and brought her up to meet his gaze, noting the angry tears streaming down her face as she glared at the dragon in silence.

"I would ask you refrain from breaking my son's heart until after our little meeting is done. I can't kill you from in here, but I don't have to let you leave here mentally whole either. Be silent and still and let me explain my words before jumping to such rash conclusions. First off, you are the only person my son has ever been with in the physical and romantic sense, so your fears are unfounded. Next off, I said you are the only one I've met, and this is true. There will be more mates" Amanda glared darkly at the dragon, but he merely shrugged it off and continued. "There will be others, but you must understand that this is not exactly his choice. It is more like his inherited responsibility. I have claimed him as my son, and that means that he must uphold his duty as the new fire dragon king. He must produce a great many heirs, and provide them a kingdom to rule and protect. These are rules that are in his blood and bones, rules that will punish him severely if he ignores them. You may not like them, and I certainly understand why, but you must show some amount of trust in him. I had thought he had explained them to you in some way, but it seems that I was mistaken. I should not have spoken the way I did, but I had thought you understood the situation in place. You are Natsu's only mate right now, and while he will gain other mates throughout the next couple of years, you will not be replaced. He can sleep with no others without my knowing, and I can assure you that you are the only one he has ever had eyes for on this gods forsaken planet, and that is not changing. I will leave you two to speak, as you both have much to discuss, but I do hope to see you again, girl. You make him happy, the happiest I've seen him since before I left him alone, and I do not want to see that gone."

The dragon gently lowered her to the ground before turning around and slowly walking back in to the cave he had emerged from, the last thing Amanda seeing was the large eyes staring back at her before the slowly slid shut. She turned to Natsu to see him having sunk to his knees and stare at the ground in silence, but otherwise not having moved since Igneel had picked her up. His hair shadowed his eyes and prevented her from seeing his gaze, but she could see the tremble in his frame as he took a shuddering breath. She slowly walked a few steps closer to him, but kept her distance from him as well as she watched him continue to breath deeply. The first sign of movement he had showed for minutes was when he lowered his head to the ground and pressed his forehead against the rough earth and let out a low whine. Amanda had barely heard it, but the struggled sob that let loose from his throat after that had definitly reached her. She paused as she watched him slowly unravel and couldn't help herself in the guilt that she felt. She had jumped to conclusions and said such hurtful things to him that she had felt justified in speaking to him. She knew each word struck him, she could see it in his eyes, but at the time couldn't bring herself to care for the man that she had assumed was having an affair. She felt guilt, but more than that she felt anger, both at herself and at him. How could he have not told her about something so important as to having to take on other women? How could she not feel like some kind of toy when she found out the she was going to have to be a part of a harem? Wasn't she enough? Didn't she make him happy enough? Why did he need more? She felt tears well in her eyes, and in anger, turned away from the image of her broken boyfriend and faced back towards the cavern. There were no eyes staring back at her. She looked around, at the mountains and volcanos, at the dirt and lava rivers, anywhere but at the sight of the man she loved. He was broken, she could hear it with each muffled whine, and she knew it was her fault, but she couldn't bring herself to comfort him.

Not when her heart was in so much pain.

She was broken out of her misery when she heard the sound of crunching gravel behind her. She turned her gaze, and nearly fell in shock at what she saw. There were two figures slowly descending on the broken man, one a demonic looking copy of her boyfriend, complete with horns and wings, and the other was something else entirely. Pure darkness in the shape of a human with a single red eye glowing in the middle of it's face. Both figures stood before the downed man, and stared in apathy. The demonic copy chuckled as he knelt down to the broken man, slowly grabbing him by the hair and pulling him up by his hair as he stood. Natsu hung limply in the demon's grasp as the demon stood up tall. Amanda noticed that the tears had stopped flowing, and he could only stare at the world with dull eyes, no pain showing from the demon's grip on his hair. The shadow merely stood by, it's pose relaxed as they both finally turned their gaze to Amanda at the same time. She took a step back as the red eye seemed to dialate on her and the demon glared at her, a shiver running down her back as the two stared at her.

She desperately wished this was a dream.

The demon was the first to speak. "Pathetic. A bitch says something mean to him and hurts his feelings, and he just snaps." Amanda felt fear as the demon released his grasp on Natsu's hair, the man falling face first in to the ground, but otherwise not moving. The shadow walked over and knelt next to the downed guardian. The demon took slow steps towards her. "It amazes me just how much I wish you had died that day. He should've let you bleed to death in that stupid hangar. Sure he would've been angry, but rage I can work with. I can fuel his anger and keep him strong in his own hatred, but you just had to go and fuck it all up. He had to fall in love and decide to play house, forgetting that we have somewhere we need to be. Then, he gets himself even stronger when he discovers daddy dearest over there, who I can tell you from experience is an asshole of it's own category, and suddenly he's all hunky dorey and eager to come home to this stupid illusion of happiness. Then you just had to come here, the one place that he can't hide from it all, and break him. Do you feel strong? Proud? Happy? You've reduced his soul to a sobbing toddler, and there isn't a fucking thing that either of us," He motioned to the shadow who just continued to kneel over the man, "can do a fucking thing about. Well? Fucking say something!"

"I-I... What do you... What?"

"Smart words." The demon sneered at her. He stopped right in front of her and grabbed her face with one hand before turning it to the broken guardian. "That right there, that frail and pathetic excuse for a man, is Natsu's soul. It's his purest form, and the one thing that we assumed couldn't be broken or controlled. The physical person you see outside every day can lie and hide away his pain, but HE" The demon pointed to the man, "can NOT. He conquered the evil and darkness that each of us are compromised of, and his own evil with little to no difficulty, and you broke him in less than a minute. I'd say I'm proud of you if it didn't leave me in this pathetic shell of a man. Luckily for you, he isn't totally destroyed."

"What do you mean?"

"Keep quiet bitch!" The demon snapped at her and roughly released her face. He stared at her hurt and confused expression for several seconds before turning away and spitting on the ground. "You did this, so you don't get to ask questions. Why don't you just go and find someone else who can give you answers, because you aren't getting any out of me. You should've just died and left us alone. I bet we would've been home by now, and he wouldn't be making himself suffer missing his home and friends every day just to keep you happy. Whatever." The demon turned to the shade and nodded, the shade returning the gesture and standing before walking over to the woman, who could only watch paralyzed as the shade placed a freezing cold hand against her head.

"You should be glad," The shade said in a monotone voice as she felt her conciousness begin to wane as cold sept through her body. "I should completely devour your light for what you have done to him, but I will leave you alive and intact. Sleep." The darkness consumed her vision as she faded out of Natsu's soul. The demon and shade turned back to the guardian and staring at him. "Can a 'soul' be fixed?" The shade questioned hesitantly. The demon sighed and nodded.

"Yes, but it will take some time. I think I can get him in to enough shape to get us away for a bit. They both need time to think about everything, and we can get him to begin the process to get us home in that time. Hopefully, they can reslove this and we can get our balance back." The shade looked to him in question before the demon pointed at himself. "I'm the evil and corruption. Scales over there is his instinct. You are his logic."

"What is he then? How does he fit in to this 'balance' that you speak of?"

"He's the heart. The inspiration to keep going when all of us say to surrender. He's the aspect that can't be controlled by any of us. Sad to say, but he's what makes us whole."

"You seem to know quite a bit about the heart and this 'love' emotion that I keep hearing..." The shade noticed the way the demon tensed before taking a deep breath and gaining a sad smile to his face.

"Yeah, well what can I say? Love is the only reason me and him exist at all in the first place." The demon hoisted the limp guardian over his shoulder and vanished from the lava scape. The shade paused for a moment and stared at the ground in though before it too vanished. Neither took notice of the sad eyes watching them from the mouth of the cave.

* * *

When Amanda woke the next morning with a violent shiver, she was greeted to an empty bed. She took in her surroundings and easily recognized Natsu's room, and the events of the previous night caught up with her.

Her head hurt, and it had little to do with the hangover.

She stood up and walked to her room and changed in to some sweats and a loose shirt as she thought about the previous night. 'Had to have been a dream.' she repeated in her head continuously as she searched around for her boyfriend. She half expected to enter the living room and seeing him sitting nude on the couch, as he liked to do so often, and watching TV with a bowl of cereal. She was proven wrong when she entered the room, and the only sign of him being there being a whisky glass with some water in it, likely it had been ice that had just melted over time, and a small note folded up underneath the glass. She slowly slid the note out from under the glass and unfolded it. She opened it with shaking hands and read the simple message over and over again before setting the note back down.

'I need some time to think. Don't wait up. I'm sorry I didn't tell you when I got home.'

It was so simple, but the meaning of the words crushed her heart. It had all been real. Every word she yelled at him. Every hit. Every name she called him. Every bit of it was true.

She told him that she hated him.

She trudged in to the kitchen and picked up the half empty bottle of whisky from the counter, sighing as she remembered having just bought the night before and not having had a chance to open it. She popped the cork out of the bottle and brought it up to her lips. She could smell the alcohol burn her nostrils, feel the cool liquid run inside the glass and chill her hand slightly, but she couldn't bring herself to drink. She slowly lowered the bottle away from her lips and gently placed the cork back in to it's position. She stood still for a moment as the sound of the ticking clock rang out before she hurled the bottle across the room with a scream, watching it impact and shatter against the television. She slid everything from the counter to the floor, the sound of glass shattering and metal hitting the floor echoing out, and hunched over the counter before a loud sob rang throuout the empty apartment.

* * *

Natsu watched the Earth spin as he thought about everything that had happened last night. He had hoped to find a proper moment to sit down and talk with Amanda about their relationship, but he just didn't have a good opportunity to do so. He had hoped to speak to her, or that Igneel would take his hints and keep quiet, but he had no such luck. His father had gone and revealed everything at once without supplying context, not once giving Natsu a chance to explain himself to her, and he had to deal with the fallout. He still heard every word clearly, how could he not when she literally screamed them in to his soul, and felt his heart clench.

She said she hated him.

He had dealt with plenty of people hating him or wanting him dead, but to hear those words from someone so close to his heart, to look in her eyes and see no trace of doubt or hint of sarcasm or humor, it shattered his heart completely. He supposed that he had recieved his answer to the unasked question of whether she would leave with him or not, but to hear it so bluntly was painful. His mind flashed back to the moment that he had told her that he loved her, and his heart constricted painfully in his chest, not because he regretted it.

But because he couldn't bring himself to regret it.

He couldn't bring himself to regret a single moment he had spent with her. His heart ached to hold her when he thought of the pain she was in, it screamed at him to comfort her in some way shape or form, but how could he comfort someone who hated him? How could he present himself to her in any way that could be seen as loving when she so clearly didn't trust him? Her words had shown that. He wasn't stupid, much as anyone would love to claim, and could see every insecurity in her as she screamed her claims in to his face, but he could do nothing to stop her. He had hoped to let her vent herself and wait for her to run out of steam like he did so many other times, but her angered words had cut him so deeply that he couldn't respond in any way. His body wouldn't respond to his commands, his brain just processing her hurtful words over and over, an endless loop inside his mind. He didn't even register what happened after that, he could only remember his heart clenching in pain and could only attempt to stop the sounds of pain that escaped him. His next memory was waking in the bed, still holding Amanda in the position they had fallen asleep in. He quickly let go of her and fled to the kitchen. He had killed half of the new bottle of whiskey on the counter before writing his note and leaving. He watched the sun rise from the hangar before making the jump in to orbit before anyone had a chance to speak with him.

He had been posted here since.

He sighed as he took in the small reflection of himself from the canopy of his ship. His hair was a mess, eyes bloodshot and sunken, and his skin was pale. He equipped his helmet quickly, the sight greeting him causing him nothing but pain. He chuckled mirthlessly as he punched in the coordinates for the Ketch behind the moon and began to fly towards it. He had already notified Parsix of his arrival, and was somewhat grateful to hear the eager Eliksni was happy to hear from him so soon. He watched the slips of light as his ship entered subspace for several seconds before coming out and shooting towards the Moon. He frowned as he watched the barren and desolate surface, marred with Hive temples or human wreckage. He quickly ignored it as his ship punched through to the dark side of the Moon. He was greeted with a light on his instrument panel lighting up and the voice of Parsix coming over the radio.

"We have you, my Kell. Are you prepared for docking?"

"Yes Parsix. We have a lot to discuss on the topic of the future. I promised you a paradise, free from a Traveler, and away from this Darkness. It is time for us to take steps in our voyage..."

"Yes, my Kell. We all eagerly await your arrival, we will meet you in the docking bay in five minutes."

"Very well. I will see you then. Over and out."

* * *

The welcoming party was honestly more than Natsu expected. Dregs and Vandals knelt on either side of a pathway leading towards a door that led further in to the ship. The Captains andParsix stood in front of the door, all cheering upon the arrival of their Kell. Natsu eyed the Captains suspiciously as he could see the well concealed malice in their eyes, but as long as they didn't try to actively revolt, he would allow them to continue as they were. He watched as Servitors and Shanks flew around the bay, scanning ships or crates, or just cutting down chunks of scrap. He walked down the pathway, nodding to Parsix as he passed. The Vandal nodded back and he and the Captains followed Natsu through the doorway and further in to the ship. After several minutes of walking, they finally arrived to the bridge. Natsu found a large and ornate throne, likely belonging to Skolas, and took his seat. The Captains seemed to tense, but Natsu merely stared at them through his helmet silently, the challenge not needing to be issued. The Captains all bowed their heads as Parsix strode up to Natsu and stood by his side.

"You spoke of a voyage. Are we traveling somewhere? Our ships can handle travel anywhere outside of the system, but our scouts report the Darkness encompasses this system. The trip would likely kill us..."

"We won't be traveling out of the system, Parsix." He looked around as the Captains all stared at him curiously. He shook his head and decided to answer their silent question. "We will be traveling out of this universe."

The uproar was immediate.

He heard their shouts of doubts, their claims of denial. It reminded him all too quickly of his own situation with Amanda. He clenched his fist angrily as one of the Captains drew his swords and charged towards Natsu. Natsu stood and quickly called on his power and delivered a blow to the Captain's chest. The Eliksni fell on to it's back and began to wheeze for breath. Natsu picked up one of the dropped sabers and held it above his head.

"I will have order, or I will have blood!"

He was quick with his strikes, severing the Captain's lower set of arms. The limbs fell uselessly away as the disgraced Eliksni screamed in agony. Natsu kicked it in the ribs, the Captain landing in a pained heap in front of the other Captains. They quickly calmed themselves and fell in to a kneeling position, none wanting to face such disgrace and wrath as their brother had. The wailing stopped as two of the Captains carried the disgraced from the room. Natsu sighed and threw the saber away before returning to his seat. Several Splicer Vandals had come in to witness the new Kell at work, their posture ridgid as they remained silent as a ghost.

"You do not trust me, and I understand that. You are Eliksni and I am human, but I know of a way for us to leave all of this pain behind. I am not from this universe. I was stolen, by the time walkers known as Vex. I managed to steal something from them though."

"What was it, my Kell?"

"I took from them the ability to gain all of their knowledge. There is a taint of Vex in my own soul, under my control. I posess the ability to steal more knowledge from the Vex and put it to my own use. It is why I am here now."

"What are your orders?"

"We need to go to Mars. The red planet. There are Vex there that are more ancient than history could ever hope to identify. There is something there that I must find."

"What are we searching for?"

"A Gate Lord. They hold control over passage between dimensions. They also hold a great wealth of knowledge that we need. I know where we need to go, but they hold the key on HOW to get there."

"So we can not bring you just any Vex?"

"No. Though I could use the information they carry to find a Gate Lord. From what I know, there is one on Mars and one on Venus. Our best bet is Mars. If you bring me any Vex, make sure it it their Minotaur class. They are large, and usually carry a plasma launcher. Take caution in dealing with them, as they are incredibly tough, and often favor destroying themselves to bring you down. Inform me when you encounter one and I will arrive on the battlefield. They must not be killed until AFTER I have gathered my information. Understood?"

"Yes my Kell. The Pilot Servitor has already set a course. How will we travel to a new dimension though?"

Natsu chuckled lowly as he leaned back in his seat, the entire bridge lighting up in blue as subspace travel was initiated towards the red rock of Mars. "They are fourth dimensional beings. They treat time and dimensions as pages of a book, using us for nothing more than amusement before turning the page to a new dimension. It is how I was stolen, and how we will return. I imagine we will have to build something quite large, as it will need to transport to Ketches through it."

"What if it falls in to... unwanted hands?"

"You mean the Vanguard and the Queen or the Cabal and Hive?"

"Yes to all of them my Kell..."

"We will build it somewhere that it will destroy itself after being used. I believe if we build it close enough to the Sun, it will be pulled in by the gravity without anyone to keep it in place rather quickly. We must make sure that this technology dies with our departure. Who knows what they would do with that technology? They are in a war, after all..." Natsu let his thoughts die as they hopped out of subspace and approached the surface of Mars. "Okay. Look for ancient stone and metal, composition unknown and older than the rest of the wreckage in the system. Any hits?"

"We have two." Parsix spoke as several Splicers ran around and quickly chirped information to each other. Natsu nodded before leaning back in his seat.

"Set a course for the one that is furthest away from the Cabal outposts. I don't want to chance our forces against theirs..." The ship was quick to adjust course, and after a few minutes, Natsu was greeted to the sight of a city made of huge pillars of stone, metal, and light. He stood from his seat and walked towards the exit of the bridge. "Parsix, stay here and run the bridge. I want five Captains with me, and ten Servitors to spread out and scout." Parsix quickly belted the order out over the ship's intercom and Natsu made his exit.

* * *

The surface of the planet was us warm as Arminius had described. Natsu frowned as he thought of his mentor, wondering what the man was up to. Had they found Osiris at his temple, or was it all in ruins like so many other leads? Natsu hoped the man had found something, if only for the happy gleam he could picture in the man's eyes as he reported to the elders. Natsu shook his head and focused back in as there was several dark clods covering the ground, lightening sparking out across the red sand, turning where it touched to glass as the Vex made themselves known. Natsu sighed and loaded his rifle as the Captains each gave a roar and raised their weapons.

"Remember! I need one alive. But only one!"

The Eliksni gave a war cry as Natsu roared and charged towards the first of many groups of Vex.

* * *

So this chapter feels late, and I don't really have too much of an excuse. I don't have writer's block. If anything I have an idea for another story I want to do, but it would involve taking Natsu to a very dark place that anyone can go to for someone that should never see such an evil side of humanity.

Anyway, this chapter is out, and I'm imagining that I'll have Natsu home in two chapters, which should be the end of next week if everything goes as planned.

Comment, review, HIT THAT SUBSCRIBE BUTTON! LETS GO FOR 100 BILLION LIKES!

Just kidding.

Let me know what you thought,

Temper


	16. Chapter 16

Light

Chapter 16

* * *

Natsu sat down on an overturned pillar as he caught his breath. He had been engaging with the Vex for nearly three days, and it was beginning to show on his team. While none of the Captains with him had perished, they sported their fair share of cuts and scrapes. The Servitors they had brought with them had perished rather quickly, not surprising given their shape and speed, but that had left Natsu with no way to properly heal the Captains that were with him, and though they didn't voice it, Natsu could see their displeasure and discomfort. He hadn't realized that he was going to lose radio communication with Parsix and the Ketch, but he wasn't too surprised with his current luck. He shook his head slowly as he stared down at the state of his armour, and frowned when he realized that he would be needing immediate repairs when he was finished here. The polished plates were scratched and worn, several gouges from melee attacks were carved in to his chest piece. His helmet was incredibly damaged, nothing more than the basic life support and microphone functioned, but it was helpful in the fact that he could still give orders. He sighed tiredly as he stood from the pillar and turned to the Eliksni elite that had come with him.

They were tired.

He could tell in their stances, the way they struggled to raise their weapons and how they needed to stop and devour more ether seeds after each battle now. 'They had to be running out of those soon.' He grimaced to himself at the thought. He understood now why the Fallen were rarely, if ever, spotted on Mars. While they could function for a short amount of time, their preferred climate was definitly the cold. It made sense when he thought about it. They were on the moon with nothing more the a rebreather to protect them from the vacuum of space. They never wore any kind of clothing aside from the cloaks to denote their house, so it began to make more and more sense that they would rather be in the cold. Natsu frowned as he did his best to regulate his frustrations as he reloaded his weapon and stretched, several satisfying pops rang out from the guardian.

It had been going so well at first.

Natsu had managed to capture and assimilate four minotaurs before the Vex mind seemed to catch on and stopped sending anything more than goblins and harpies, things that dide to easily or just didn't have the proper information. Natsu thought it was strange, the Vex that he was assimilating now seemed to be from another galaxy entirely as he couldn't recognize anything that they had data on. The mind was hitting him with nothing more than scouts for other systems, but the information he had been able to drain from the minotaurs so far had brought him closer to the center of the Vex ruins, but he had hit a dead end when they had yet to encounter anything hostile, or rather anything at all. Natsu was brought out of his musings when he heard the rubble above him shift. He brought his rifle up to his shoulder quickly, aiming at the spot where there was now dust falling. He heard several more shifts before hearing a very recognizable buzzing sound. He turned quickly and fired three rounds from his scout rifle, snapping the other Eliksni with him to attention as the wail of a stealth Vandal rang out. The Captains were quick to raise their weapons and scurry over to their Kell, understanding that he seemed to have an idea of what was happening.

"I didn't expect to see Wolves cowering around a human so easily, let alone a guardian."

Natsu turned his rifle quickly to the source of the voice, only to see a pale Awoken man in black garb, Eliksni flanking him on either side, walking towards them. The group kept on high alert, Natsu watching the man's every move. The way his eyes shifted, and every twitch of his muscles showed Natsu that this man was dangerous. The man stopped several meters from the group and crossed his arms, though Natsu was not foolish enough to let down his guard. A wailing sound caught both of their attention as they turned to see the stealth Vandal that Natsu had shot being carried away from the group by two other Vandals.

"Surprised you didn't kill him. Don't they teach you how to shoot at the Vanguard?"

"I knew it was Eliksni from the sound of his stealth matrix. Didn't want to kill him in case it was one of mine. Now," Natsu stood with his weapon raised at the man. "Who are you?"

The man chuckled and held up both of his hands in a mocking gesture of surrender, Natsu did nothing more than focus the red dot of his sight between the man's eyes. "I am not here to fight, much as I would love to be rid of a member of the Vanguard, I have other orders."

"Don't want to fight? Bringing an army of stealth fighters doesn't exactly say 'peace talks', but I'm sure you knew this."

"Smart. Sadly, they go with me everywhere. The Crows follow their master after all."

"Crows? What does Mara Sov want with me?"

The man sneered in disgust before lowering his hands to his sides, one hand twitched dangerously over the knife on his hip, but Natsu's shouldered firearm made him reconcider. "You are to refer to her as the Queen or simply Kell. It is a title that she has earned through blood and conquest, and it would do you well to remember that." Natsu snorted at the man's declaration.

"Then you can call me King, for I have earned my title through blood and conquest as well. Though that title may not fit as well for me, so why don't we just go by what these guys call me. I am Natsu Dragneel, Kell of the House of Wolves. You will do well to refer to me by my proper title as well." Natsu smirked under his helmet at the shocked look the man gave him.

"Impossible. The Wolves were scattered to the winds after Skolas was captured. You are nothing more than a pretender to the throne of a disgraced house!" The man yelled over the chirping Eliksni that flanked him on either side.

"Very possible. I killed their Archon in a challenge of old and assumed control of the house. Even now, the Eliksni around you are speaking to mine, and any of them can confirm it." The man looked to either side of him before a Vandal nodded to him and turned back to Natsu.

"Very well then, your highness," The man spat with a sneer. "My Queen would like a meeting with you. She has been watching you... absorb... those Vex, and would like to discuss some private matters with you. I was sent to deliver the message and lead you to the desginated meeting route."

"Very well," Natsu spoke with a smirk. "Tell your Queen I will meet with her. I will meet up with you in orbit and follow you to the meeting."

"Very well. Don't be late, guardian. I would hate-" He was interrupted when Natsu fired a single round over the man's shoulder, hitting a hobgoblin that had appeared among some ruins behind him.

"Perhaps instead of shit talking with me, you should get back on your leash and run to your queen. I'm sure Mara could replace you, but it may be difficult to find someone who can lick her boots just right." Natsu snapped back at the man, watching with a smile when the man stammered in fury before abruptly turning away and stomping off. Natsu took even more joy out of it when he heard his Captains break out in to mocking laughter at the retreating man. Quickly giving the order to retreat, Natsu decided that it would be best to commit to this venture after a proper rest and resupply. The Eliksni were quick to head towards the transmat zone and be out of the sweltering heat.

* * *

Natsu grinned as he sat in his shuttle, and followed after the Awoken man's ships as they traveled to the outskirts of the Reef. He had ordered the Ketch to stay back on the surface under cloak while he met with the Queen, but to keep an eye out for an emergency beacon if he needed aid. He had refused to bring his ship, opting instead for a shuttle the Eliksni had scavenged some time ago and repaired. He wasn't sure on what he was going in to, given that his knowledge of the Queen and the Reef was limited to the few records of the War. Zavala had been very tight lipped about anything to do with the Queen other than telling Natsu her name. He hoped that the meeting went smoothly, as he had heard from plenty of Eliksni about how ruthless the woman could be when scorned. He was broken from his contemplation when his ship burst from subspace travel, the bright purple fog of the reef lighting everything around him, almost as if he was surrounded by void energy. His theory was proven when he felt the energy pulse, as if it had a mind of it's own and a slight pull in his chest further in to the void told him that he had passed whatever test was just given. His radio chirped to life as the man's voice came over.

"You will continue on this trajectory until you reach a docking bay. It is under our control, but it is open to several traders. It is the closest we have to nuetral ground that the Queen would like to get. Your meeting will be in the bar on the third level in the back corner of the bay. You will be meeting her one on one, per her orders. No guards, no spies, no secrets. I may despise guardians and anything to do with your Traveler, but my sister is more open to speaking with your kind. Treat her with honesty and repect, and she will do the same for you." Before Natsu could respond, the radio crackled off and the man's ship shot further in to the void. Natsu just shrugged before looking over to Specter, who was quietly perched on the console.

"Did you know he was Mara Sov's brother?"

"Negative, Natsu."

"Huh. Go figure."

* * *

The docking bay was nothing fancy, just a large open hangar with several seperate sections for a bar and bunkhouse. Natsu docked his ship, checking in to the purple and gold androids that sputtered around the large hangar. He noticed that there was only one other ship than his, and it was a shuttle as well. Natsu looked around before spotting the bar in the corner up several flights of stairs. He climbed them quickly and arrived at the door to the bar. He opened the door and stepped in, and calling it a bar would be a bit of an overstatement. Several tables were spread out with several large bookcases filled with various alcohol bottles against the far wall. It was all perched behind a counter with several maintenance droids stationed behind the bar in a form of makeshift bartenders. Natsu chuckled when he noticed one of the androids wearing a green visor and an apron. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a woman clear her throat from the corner of the room. Natsu turned and faced the Queen, and couldn't help but stare at the woman.

She was beautiful.

Her hair was snow white and feathered lightly, looking as if it were made of the finest silk. Her eyes glowed in an electric blue. Her skin seemed smooth and flawless, and her outfit did little to hide her curves. She sat in a tight black flight suit, both legs propped on to the table as she sipped a honey coloured liquid from the small glass in her hand. Another glass sat across from her, already filled with the same liquid in her glass. The bottle sat between them as Natsu snapped out of his thoughts and slowly walked over to the woman and sat down across from her, the metal chair screeching loudly as Natsu pulled it out and sat down. He took off his helmet and placed in on the table next to him. He held back a smirk as the woman stared at his features for a moment before a smile came over her face.

"Had I known that my brother was going to bring forward such a... specimen, I would've worn something nicer. As unfortunate as this not being a date is, I feel we should get to business."

"Natsu Dragneel." Natsu spoke with a nod.

"Mara Sov." She returned the nod with a smile.

"And I would very much like to be clued in on what the Queen of the Reef would want with a single guardian." Natsu spoke carefully as he sampled the liquor. He sighed lightly as the honey flavoured drink warmed up his stomach. The woman chuckled before downing her drink and topping it off once more.

"We both know for certain that you are no ordinary guardian. I care little for your abilities as a Sunbreaker, or the fact that you can seem to use all three classes of guardians. I'm interested in how exactly you can seem to absorb the Vex energy. Not even my strongest witches are able to come close to tapping in to the Darkness like you are doing so easily. I am curious as to HOW you can though."

Natsu chuckled. "It's all in my head actually. I'm getting tired of telling this story, but I suppose I'll start from the beginning..."

The next few hours found Natsu speaking his tale to the Queen, the bottle of alcohol being joined by three others as Natsu relayed his tale to the enraptured Queen. She sat on the edge of her seat in silent fascination of the man who was stolen from his universe and cast in to this one. She felt somewhat awed by the man having managed to survive the Vex torture and steal a piece of the Darkness from itself. She couldn't deny that she found the man even more fascinating as he recounted his training, and it seemed the alcohol even loosened his lips enough to speak about the woman he loved. She felt pity as she watched the man become somber as he told her small details of what was happening and some of the things the mechanic had spoken to him. She lent back in her chair and sighed as Natsu brought his tale to a close after downing his drink and slowly refilling it.

"I tell you this though... Your brother, he's gotta pull that stick out of his ass. Never met such an uptight person. And I thought Zavala was a pain..." It seemed the mention of the man was enough to snap Mara back in to reality as she shook her head and took the glass from herself and Natsu and set them aside. The guardian allowed her to remove his glass with a small thanks before sitting back in his seat and rubbing his hands over his face. Mara looked across the table to the somewhat distressed man before getting her thoughts back in to order and sitting up straight in her chair. She had let this meeting veer too far off of topic, but at least now she had a decent idea of the person she was dealing with.

"I feel that we should get back on topic. I have noticed those abilities you have, and I believe we can help eachother."

"How so?" He slurred lowly, still caught up in his own misery to really care at the moment. Mara rolled her eyes.

"I need enemies to store in our prison for an... event that I'm planning. I have everything but a Vex Gate Lord. Seeing as you're looking for one, and I'm looking for one, how about we cooperate in this endeavor?" She looked in to the guardian's dull eyes in expectance. Natsu pondered it for a moment.

"Why haven't you gotten one yet? Your army is at least a dozen times larger than mine, and there is no way you DON'T know where the Gate Lords are in this system. So why do you want my help?"

The woman could only chuckle before raising the bottle up and topping her glass, setting the bottle back down when Natsu declined to have his glass refilled. Mara stared at the man as a deep blush overtook his features when he stared in to her eyes. She shrugged lowly and sipped from her glass gently before resuming their conversation.

"You got me. I don't just want one for the prison... I also want the information that they have. My spies have gone through archives on Venus and Mars, and from what we could pull up from before the Collapse, the Vex have some sort of hub point. They have some sort of controller or relay in the system that is operating every Vex unit in this solar system. Not too large of a deal as normally this is the common theory, but there seems to be something more to it all. It isn't pinned to any location we can find on a planet, like the Vault of Glass. This is more like a gateway to another dimension, and that looks like we may be dealing with more than a simple local controller like we first suspected."

Natsu sat in silence and slowly nodded when she finished her explanation. "You're after the Black Heart." He met Mara's eyes as they stared at him in slight confusion.

"The what?"

"The Black Heart. It's the third dimensional connection to the fourth dimensional being that is what the Vex truly is. They aren't an army, much like anyone would want to have you believe. They are a single unit. They are one being stretched across an infinite number of bodies across time in both directions... forever." Natsu stood up and walked over to the bar before picking up a clear bottle and popping the top off of it, sighing happily when the liquid inside was water before pouring himself a glass and carrying the glass and bottle back to Mara and sitting back down. He sipped the drink slowly while staring in to the astonished eyes of Mara Sov while she took in the informations he had just given her.

"How... How do you know all of this?" She felt like smacking herself when Natsu silently tapped his temple and took another sip of water. "Right. So what do you know about the Black Heart that I don't?"

"I can tell you that your assumptions are correct about it." Natsu was silent for a moment as his eyes lost focus. "The gateway leads out of this dimension and in to a pocket dimension. This is where the Black Heart is hidden away, and acting as the long range controller for every Vex."

"In this system?" Mara asked slowly as Natsu refilled his glass with water. He took another slow sip before looking at her.

"In this universe." He corrected slowly. "The Black Heart is a strange anomaly that seems to be able to exist in one dimension, yet is able to control the actions of beings in another. I believe those Vex confluxes have something to do with it, but it is literally fourth dimensional thought going on there, so I can't really explain it the way the voice in my head would like to or I may in fact stop existing." He finished with a small chuckle. Mara could only shake her head slowly and finish her drink before pouring another, Natsu decided to use this moment to change topic. "So, I'm guessing that you have some idea about why exactly a Gate Lord is called a 'Gate Lord', but given the fact that the Reef is so reclusive, I doubt you want to share this information for the greater good. So," He leant forward in to the woman's space, smirking when she didn't back away, "The question, again, is why? And remember the promise that your brother made; honesty."

Mara sighed before filling her drink one last time, tipping the now empty bottle upside down to get the last few drops to her glass before standing it with the rest of the empty bottles. She downed her drink and let out a harsh sigh before silently cursing. "When did you suddenly get so sober?"

"Been burning the alcohol out of my system this whole time, as well as taking in more water to dilute my system. This is a byproduct." Natsu pointed to the bright blush on his face. Mara let out an annoyed huff.

"And here I thought you were just captivated by my beautiful face..."

"A bit conceited, eh?"

Mara scoffed. "I am not a fool to my appearance. I know how I look, and just how many men think I am merely a pretty face. Why do you think my brother is so protective of me?"

"I have a few ideas," Natsu shrugged before grinning. "But I don't think that you'd like to hear 'em. Your brother seems like the 'weird loving' type of brother. Besides, I can tell you can fight just fine." Natsu finished his glass of water and set the glass down on the table before sliding the bottle of water over to Mara. She took the bottle before popping the top off of it and drinking directly from the bottle. She leant back in her chair and let out a small belch.

"The image you just presented of my brother is... most disturbing. Let us both pray that it is far from the truth." Mara looked uncomfortable as Natsu began to laugh. "Besides, how can you tell my combat prowess? Are the records really that descriptive?" Natsu shrugged before leaning back in his seat as well, his hands resting behind his head as he stared at the woman.

"It's all in your posture. You make it seem as if you are at ease, but I have been watching your eyes dart to my shoulders every time I twitch. Looking for a tell. Not to mention that you never keep both hands above the table, and while I don't see a piece strapped to you, I can guess you have something strapped underneath this table. Everything about you screams dangerous, especially those pretty blue eyes of yours. So cold, can't seem to get a good read on you no matter how hard I try. Only thing that seemed to get to you was mentioning Zavala." He pointed a single finger at her face. "There it was again. You're good at hiding it, but I can see the anger every time I mention him. Your nose crinkles and your pupils dialate. Only emotion I can seem to accurately read though. You have mastered hiding your emotions well."

"I suppose I should thank you for the... assessment. But why point out the things we both know that I'm doing when you are leaving yourself so open?"

"I'm not open." Natsu grinned as the woman narrowed her eyes.

"Then why don't you prove it?" Mara asked challengingly.

"Darling, I'll show you mine if you show me yours..." Natsu smirked as he rested a hand on his chest plate. Mara shrugged and quickly drew the pistol she had under the table, intent on aiming it at Natsu to prove how he had left himself vulnerable, only to stare down the jagged barrel of a hand cannon that Natsu had pulled from inside his chest piece.

"Cute pistol. Do they come in mens' sizes?" Natsu grinned to the wide eyed Queen, who could only lower her pistol down and set it on the table. Natsu set the Thorn down next to her pistol, feeling amused when he saw the cannon was nearly double the size of her pistol. Mara stared down at the cannon before realization hit her and she stared back at the pink haired guardian.

"Is that...?"

"Yup."

"But Dredgen Yor-"

"Left it to his only apprentice before his demise in the Twilight Gap."

"Then that means you're-"

"I don't like to talk about it."

Mara sat back in her seat once more as she stared at the man in a new light. Her spies had reported that he had learned the void element, but none had informed her that he had trained under Dredgen Yor, and he had brushed over his training for the most part.

"How much?"

"For Thorn?"

"No for the Ghost. Of course for the Thorn."

"She ain't for sale."

"Everything is for sale."

"You a virgin?"

Mara had the decency to blush at the sudden question.

"Perhaps I am, perhaps I'm not. What does this have to do with-"

"How much?"

"W-What?"

"To fuck you." Natsu put it bluntly, his eyes now sharply focused on her as he leant forward in his chair. "How. Much?"

"I don't do that sort of-"

"Everything is for sale." Natsu parroted back to the woman. Mara had the decency to look sheepish at how brutishly the man had proven her wrong.

"That was uncalled for." She spoke lowly.

"You weren't taking no for an answer. Figured I'd drop a bucket of ice water on you."

"What if I had named a price?"

"You didn't though. Besides, why would I pay for something I can get for free back home?"

"You speak as if you are sure you'll get it back home, or that you have someone to even go back to."

"Ouch."

"Not sorry."

"I can tell. Besides, it isn't over until we've both sat down and talked about it. I figure I can prolong that a bit, hence why I'm here." He gestured around himself, but noticed Mara was still staring at his gun.

"Can I hold it?"

"She bites, but you're welcome to try." Natsu watched her reach a hand forward as quick as lightning and snatch up his cannon. He grinned as the sweat poured down her brow in pain as she trained the gun on him.

"What... will you do now? What's to stop me from... just taking it and killing you?" Natsu chuckled.

"One, the fact that we're here for peace talks. Two," He pointed a finger at the gun. "Sick 'er." He grinned when Mara let out a shriek as her joints all locked up. He watched her eyes widen in panic when her body refused to cooperate and drop the cannon. Dark black began to creep in the veins up her neck and across her face as her jaw fell open in a silent scream. "What's wrong, Mara Sov? You're holding the gun in your hands. Pull the trigger. Take what you want. Conquer the Darkness in the weapon and end my life." His tone was taunting as the woman gained enough breath to let loose a wail, long and loud, in to the bar around them. Natsu reached a hand forward and grabbed the Thorn by the barrel. "Down girl." He spoke calmly. Mara instantly fell limp as the cannon released the hold it had on her body and fell in to Natsu's grasp and vanished in to his inventory. She slumped against the table as the pain receded slowly behind her eyes before turning in to a dull ache after several minutes. She sat back up tiredly and stared at Natsu for a few moments before speaking.

"What the fuck was that?"

"That was the results of tainting a gun with pure Darkness to the point of giving it sentience. Thorn is a bit tempermental in who can use her, and she doesn't like you too much. Might have to do with you trying to harm me."

"It's a gun. It is metal and lead with springs and steel. There is not heart or soul to a weapon!" Mara exclaimed.

"And yet, this gun just nearly killed you for holding her and trying to use her against her master."

Mara tried to stand, but found her strength falling her as she slumped over and on to the floor. Natsu stood from the table and slowly walked over to the downed queen. A sigh tore it's way from his lips as he reached down and pulled the woman up in to his arms before walking back to his seat. He sat down and held the queen in a bridal position as he sat her up to rest her head under his chin. "What are you going to do to me?" She questioned hesitantly. It wasn't that strange of a request considering she hadn't felt this weak since she was a child. Natsu chuckled lowly, the sound rumbling through his chest and in to the woman's frame.

"Relax, I'm not going to sample the royal buffet. Though you wouldn't be able to even raise your voice to me if I wanted to. Thorn's still in your body, deep in your soul. She'll fade out when you get your strength back, but it's just another aspect to what makes her dangerous. I could tell you to do anything at all, and the Thorn in your soul will make you do it. All I'm doing her is taking the Thorn out and giving you back some power. Now hold still, I've only ever read about this..."

Mara didn't have time to react when she felt Natsu's teeth clamp down on her neck as her vision was enveloped in the deep purple light of void energy. She felt the drag in the back of her mind fade away as the power flowed back in to her. She felt an immense heat run through her body as she regained control back to her limbs, though they seemed to act without her guidance as her arms wrapped around Natsu's shoulders, her fingers running through his hair as her toes curled inside of her boots. She reared her head back as a loud moan tore it's way from her throat as her body became addicted to the bottomless source of energy that was Natsu Dragneel. Fire flowed through her veins as she took in every detail that she could. Her vision narrowed as dust particles became clearer, her nose scrunching at the smell of metal and sweat that the man was emitting, her ears twitching as she heard the laboured breathing from the man. She moaned out once more as she felt his hands squeeze her to his chest as she squirmed in his lap, grinding against the arousal that was making itself known to her. She felt his teeth release her neck as he reared his head back and took several struggling pants as he pushed the woman off of his lap. Mara stood, though the effort to do so seemed immense, and waited for the guardian to catch his breath.

Natsu snapped his gaze when he heard a small wimper from the woman standing several feet away from her. His eyes narrowed as he took in every aspect of her. Her chest heaved as she wrapped her arms around herself. He watched her rub her thighs together slowly as she stared at the man. He felt a growl work it's way up his chest at the woman's behavior. His concentration was broken when one of the empty bottles rolled off of the table and shattered to the ground, causing both occupants of the room to jump. Natsu snapped himself back as he grabbed the bottle of water and dumped it on himself in an effort to cool down. He wasn't about to prove Amanda right by sleeping around now, not after he had been faithful this whole time. He let out a tired sigh as his focus finally began to come back to him. Mara seemed to have calmed down as well and had resumed her position in her seat, though she seemed to be affected still as she squirmed in her seat occasionally.

"What was that?" Mara asked shakily. Natsu took another deep breath in an effort to calm himself down before responding.

"That... That was more than likely a result of sharing some of my power with you. The books had mentioned effects, but I wouldn't have done that had I known what exactly they were. Does this place have a shower?"

Mara chuckled and pointed to a door in the far corner. "This area has a suitable bunk house as well as a bathing facility. Do you want me to join you?"

Natsu shook his head. "I believe that would not be smart. Besides, I've been on the surface of Mars in my armour for the last three days with no shower in sight."

"But that merely means that we can work together to get you as clean as possible." Mara purred to the man. Natsu coughed in to his hand and shook his head.

"No thanks. Besides, as far as I know I still have a girlfriend, and I love her very much. I wouldn't dare do anything to ruin what I have with her." Natsu spoke confidently. Mara merely shrugged before leaning back in her seat and running a hand over her breast.

"From what you've told me, there may be nothing to return to there. Why not get started early on 'establishing diplomatic relations' and we can really hammer out our policy?"

Natsu shook his head and walked out of the room quickly before Mara could say anything else. He regretted allowing Mara Sov access to so much of his power, as it seemed that she had become drunk on it. The books had stated that this was a practise meant to be used between the closest of comrades, but he had done what he did in hopes of recovering the woman to get back on track. He sighed as he entered the restroom, making sure to lock the door behind himself, and began to undress before turning the shower on to the coldest setting. He quickly climbed in and sighed as the water washed over him. He grabbed a handful of soap from the dispenser and began to scrub himself down. He hadn't been lying to Mara when he said he needed a shower.

He really did stink.

He was broken out of his musings when he heard Specter chirping in the bathroom. "Natsu, I'm recieving a transmission from Parsix on the Ketch. Shall I patch you through?"

"Yes." Natsu's voice echoed in the bathroom.

"Greetings my Kell. How fairs the discussions?" Parsix's voice echoed on the other side of the bathroom stall, his voice slightly distorted from Specter's comms.

"It is going well enough. I have been able to discern what the Queen wants, but I still don't know why. I am unable to make a decision until I am sure as to her motives AND her reasons." Natsu spoke quietly. He heard the growling hum of agreement from the Eliksni before he spoke again. "Though everything is taking longer than I'd like. Anyway, I assume you called for some reason other than to check on my status?"

"Correct, my Kell. We were running maintenance on your ship when a light on your console began to flash. It seems you have a message. We dared not access it, and saw fit to inform you of it first."

Natsu sighed as he began to scrub his hair. "Very well. I should be on the ship within the next few hours. Notify me if any other messages come in, but maintain cloaked status. We aren't enemies right now, but I don't want to run the risk of that changing."

"Very well, my Kell. Parsix ending transmission."

Natsu heard the static coming from Specter before the Ghost decided to float over the stall door and in front of Natsu, who had rinsed his hair and was just resting his head against the wall as he enjoyed the water. He sat under the water for a few more minutes before sighing and turning off the water. He stepped out and began to dry himself with a towel before Specter equipped him in to a fresh set of clothes. Natsu stretched in the fresh garment before turning his eyes to his armour. The paint was severely scratched, and plasma burns had taken their toll on his plating. He sighed as he had Specter store them in to his inventory and made his way out of the bathroom and back in to the bar. He found Mara Sov hunched over a table, one hand holding another bottle of water, the other massaging her temple. He closed the door behind himself and heard her groan in pain.

"Too loud."

"Finally sobering up?"

"Off of the alcohol, no. It takes much more than three bottles of honey whiskey to get me drunk. Your power, however, yes. It's the worst hangover I've ever had."

"Yeah," Natsu shrugged as he sat down across from the woman. "I should've done a bit more research on the topic before trying it. Perhaps consulted with a few other warlocks before actually doing anything."

"Indeed. God is that how you feel all the time though? To feel so... full. It's dangerously addicting."

"Sorry about that, Mara. I just wanted to get you back up to snuff after the Thorn having taken away so much of your power. I swear I had no idea that it would make you... feel that..."

Mara chuckled before waving a hand at the guardian. "Worry not, Natsu. I suppose I could've resisted it's allure, if I had wanted to." Natsu's eyes widened and Mara chuckled again before having another drink of water. "Don't look too surprised. You are strong, loyal, and certainly not too bad to look at. Plus, after having sampled your power and talking to you, it is easy to see why any woman would fall in love with you." Natsu blushed as he stared down at the table and mumbled a small thanks. Mara waved it off. "Back to topic though. You wanted to know why I want the Gate Lord. I'll put it to you in the simplest way I can. I need to learn how to get in to where the Black Heart is, and where to go to do it. I believe you have the knowledge to do something to help me, and I believe I can help you as well."

"So you want in to the Black Garden? Easy enough I guess, but you still haven't told me why."

"I suppose I'll start from scratch. A few years ago, my witches foresaw something happening in the near future. A new wave of guardians would be revived, and these guardians would go on to do great things. They told me of how they would kill the Vex controller and allow Light to return to your Traveler. They spoke to me of the return and defeat of Crota, and even small hints of the return of Skolas. They couldn't go further than that clearly. Something about a god and Iron Lords, but the future was just too vague. The biggest part of all of this though, from what they told me, is that I am to act as a guide of sorts. I have spent this whole time isolated from the Vanguard and guardians, all too happily I can assure you, but it seems as if the future is going to require us in the Reef to cooperate with the Vanguard. My army is gaining strength for the coming conflicts, but all of that means nothing if I am unable to provide the necessary information. I'm asking you to help me capture a Gate Lord so that I may learn on how to gain entrance to the Black Garden, and pass that information to the future guardians. Will you help me?"

Natsu pondered on the woman's words for several minutes, the only sounds in the room being the hum of the lighting, before giving her a response. "I will help you. We find a Gate Lord, you hold it down, I get the information and isolate it from the Black Heart. Then it's just a matter of you finding a proper environment to store it in. After that, we go to the Black Garden and I get my information on getting home. You said these new guardians would be the ones to destroy the Black Heart?"

"Yes."

"Good, then it means that I won't have to. I'll just take what I need from it and make sure it can't follow us out and trap us. It shouldn't be too difficult, as I'll only need about ten seconds to link with it and take what I need. Can I assume you can cover me for that long?"

Mara nodded. "I will accompany you with my brother. He may despise you and all guardians, but he will do as I command."

Natsu shrugged before grinning and holding his hand out. "Then I say we have a deal. All this being said, I believe we should go and talk with the Speaker. He will need to know what is going to be happening, if for no other reason than to know to stay out of the way. Plus this gives you a chance to open up a line of communication with the Vanguard. Not an alliance, per say, but more of a declaration of nuetrality."

Mara raised a delicate eyebrow and shook hands with the guardian. "And what would I do with this open line of communication?"

Natsu shrugged. "I dunno. You got bounties you don't want your troops dying on? I'm pretty sure your Awoken and Eliksni don't have the luxury of a Ghost revive."

"I suppose you're right. I could always throw my scraps the Vanguard's way. I know Zavala is somewhat eager to get back on my good side, so he'd be sure to make sure they get done. I suppose that'll work. Well then," She raised her bottle of water. "To new partnerships. May they benefit us all." She took a large chug from the bottle and passed it to Natsu, who grinned and took the bottle before throwing it back and drinking from it.

"Here here!"

Both people fell in to a comfortable silence before the Queen cleared her throat and caught Natsu's attention. "I noticed the armour you were wearing was pretty badly damaged. Would you like me to have it repaired?"

"I wouldn't want to inconvenience you with something so trivial." Natsu spoke out, both his hands raised in a surrendering gesture. Mara merely waved him off before speaking again.

"Nonsense. I insist you have your armour repaired by my technicians. It benefits me to have your gear back in good condition. Drop your armour off with the service droid downstairs, and wait for about two hours. Your armour will be good to go and we can meet up in orbit and head to Earth. I figure you can also notify your Speaker to be expecting company. I hope to see you in a bit."

"You as well." Natsu spoke as the woman stood and made her way to the exit of the bar. He heard the door open and shut before several more minutes went by and he heard her shuttle take off. He sighed before standing and making his way down to the service droids in the hangar. He turned in his damaged armour and took a seat in the loading bay of his shuttle as he waited for his armour to be repaired. He leaned his head back and rested against the shuttle and shut his eyes. He wasn't sure when sleep had overcome him, but he was brought awake when the sound of metal feet echoing in to his loading bay startled him awake. He turned and faced the maintenance droid.

"My apologies for startling you. Your armour is complete. Your balance is zero glimmer. I have a message to deliver to you upon completion as well. From Mara Sov. She states 'I think you'll look better in reef colours. Hope you don't mind the shader.' End of message. Please sign for your armour." The android presented him a tablet, which he quickly signed. Another droid walked up the ramp and set the case containing his armour in front of him. Both droids quickly turned and shuffled out of the loading bay of his shuttle. Natsu snapped the case open and took in the sight of his armour. It now bore a royal purple colour with golden trim along it. The Vangaurd emblem on his chest now had another logo below it. A circle made of yellow and purple triangles sat with a row of teeth in the center of the circle.

The royal mark of the Reef.

The helmet was also a deep purple and bore a similar emblem on it's face. Natsu chuckled at the Queen's tenacity. It seemed she was staking a claim on him, or a challenge to the Vanguard. Either way, he couldn't wait to see the look on Zavala's face.

Natsu chuckled before Specter appeared in front of him and equipped the armour to the guardian. Natsu let out a low whistle as he took in the weight of the armour. It felt lighter, but just as strong, if not stronger, than before. He couldn't wait to give this armour a good test. He climbed through the bay to sit in the pilot's seat of the shuttle. He punched in the coordinates and listened to the engines roar to life. He felt the shuttle jump and shoot from the hangar and towards his Ketch. His console lit up and began to chirp, indicating that he was recieving a transmission.

"This is guardian Dragneel. How copy?"

"My my, guardian Dragneel. Here I thought we were friends." Natsu would've pinched the bridge of his nose if he weren't wearing a helmet.

"Hello Mara. Am I to assume that you will be joining me on my trip back to Earth?"

He could hear her amused hum over the comm system. "I suppose so. So will we be taking my ship or yours?"

"You can dock on my ketch, and we can both take our own ships to the Tower. How's that sound to you?"

"Sounds like a plan. Send me the coordinates and I will await your response. Mara Sov out."

Natsu rolled his eyes before typing in the coordinates of his ketch and sending them to the frequency that Mara had just spoken to him on. He recieved a confirmation message as he approached his ketch. He flew to the landing bay and let the shipp take over and automatically land for him. The shuttle canopy hissed and opened and Natsu climbed out, and was instanly greeted by the Dregs and Shanks that began to fuss over his ship. One of them pulled the empty armour trunk from the loading bay of his ship and scuttled away with it.

Natsu didn't have the heart to stop the strange creature.

He was broken from his musings a minute later as Mara's shuttle docked next to his. The canopy hissed, and Natsu was mildly surprised to see the brother of the Queen climb down from the pilot's seat. He walked over to Natsu slowly and eyed the guardian cautiously. He scoffed when he took in the royal purple of the Reef.

"Decided to imitate a true military? Flattery is appreciated, but from a guardian, it is just pathetic." Natsu grit his teeth before an unseen smirk overcame his features.

"Really? And here it was your sister that gave me these colours." He grinned at seeing the Prince with a startled expression on his face before fury seeped to his eyes.

"Liar."

"Afraid not." Natsu nonchalantly polished the armour on his wrist before speaking again. "Yeah, she gave it to me after we had a moment. For such a hardened warrior, her skin sure is soft." He could almost laugh at how the Prince was doing everything in his power to not attack the guardian. Natsu decided to push the final button. "Did you know she has the most beautiful moan? Soft, yet loud. I almost lost myself when she ran her hands through my hair. Almost took her on that table. This was after she grabbed my cannon, of course."

Natsu was glad that he was expecting the knife, else he probably couldn't have caught it. He stared directly in to the Prince's eyes as they shown with pure killing fury.

"You dare to disgrace the honor and dignity of my sister?! Kell or not, I'll have your head for such disrespect!" The Prince couldn't speak due to the kick to the gut that Natsu delivered. The man was sent skidding back several feet before righting himself in to a combat stance. He readied his knife, only to come face to face with the Thorn. Both men stood, staring eachother down, before a loud sigh was heard.

"That's enough from both of you." The annoyed voice of Mara Sov caused both men to stand down. The Prince returned his knife to his sheath and paced over to the Queen.

"My Queen, this man has spoken such ill things of you! You must let me teach him to respect those that are better than him."

Mara turned to her brother and rose a delicate eyebrow. "Oh? He spoke ill of me, did he? What did he say?"

"I dare not repeat his words for the vulgarity alone is offensive to the mind."

"Did he speak of how we drank and laughed? How I held the Thorn, and how it stole my power. Did he tell you of how he held me close as he gave me a taste of his power? How drunk it made me? Did he tell you of how I wanted him to take me over that table and fuck me like a whore? I can tell you that all of those things he said are true. Even now, I won't deny that I want him. Should he ask of me my body, I would only be all to happy to oblige him." Natsu was glad he was wearing his helmet, otherwise everyone would see how low his jaw was hanging at the woman's declaration. The Prince looked even more stunned, if the wide eyes and stammering were anything to go by. Mara turned an angered eye to the Prince. "You, Uldren Sov, are not my chastity belt. You are my brother, and my most trusted confidante, but you must understand that I will live in a way and do things that you can NOT participate in. If I choose that man over there to lie with me as a lover does, then you can do nothing more than accept and respect my decision. I am the Queen of the Reef and the strongest of our kingdom."

"Yes, Mara. I apologize." Uldren hung his head low in shame and anger. It had been decades since his sister had last scolded him in such a manner, but he couldn't help but want to protect her.

It was his duty to the Queen, but even more so to his sister.

They were broken out of their musings by Natsu's chuckle. The Prince turned a furious eye to the guardian while Mara just sighed. "I'm sorry." Natsu spoke through a chuckle as he turned to Uldren. "I didn't mean to cause this much of a fuss, but you gotta learn to loosen up. I'm not going to hurt your sister, nor do I intend to pursue anything more than a working relationship with her. I've got one strong woman at home that I can barely handle, the last thing I need is a woman with an army at her disposal. Just lighten up, and I think we'll get along just fine." Natsu clapped the man on the shoulder. Uldren did nothing more than nod his head forcefully and follow after his sister and the guardian while mumbling to himself.

Natsu arrived at the bridge of his ketch, Mara and Uldren in tow. They had dealt with these ketch in their own army, but they had been outfitted and redone to accommodate the human crews as well. It was strange seeing it so unmodified. They took up their positions next to Natsu as he commanded the Splicers to set a course for the dark side of the Moon once again. The Eliksni bowed before scurrying around the deck. The pilot Servitor lit up before the ship began to move towards the Moon. The bang that echoed through the ship signifying it's travel in to sub space caused Uldren to jump slightly. He had spent most of his time in his scouting ships, and hadn't been on a ketch since before Skolas fell. His eyes narrowed at the thought of the traitorous Kell, and he let out a harsh sigh. Natsu turned to him, but opted to remain silent.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a few things to check up on in private. Parsix here speaks perfect english, unless either of you two speak Eliksni?" They both shook their heads. "Right. So let Parsix know if you need anything." With those words, Natsu turned and hurried out of the bridge. Both Queen and Prince turned to face the Eliksni, who only stood with his arms crossed.

"So... What's it like being in the House of Wolves with no Skolas?" Mara asked slowly. The Vandal didn't seem to care.

"The improvement is... substantial."

"Did you ever meet Variks?"

"Only saw him when Skolas ripped his arms out. Are they growing in?"

"Slowly. We gave him prosthetics for now."

"Hm."

* * *

Natsu sat in the cockpit of his ship as he dialed through the console. He slid his finger over the message button and grimaced when he saw the message icon blinking slowly. The Vanguard emblem next to it left no doubt on who it was from.

Zavala.

Natsu pressed the button to play the mesage, and was greeted by the annoyed voice of the Titan Commander. "Natsu Dragneel, you have been away for more than 24 hours with no report. Normally we would write you up and you would be punished for this, but it seems as if this has something to do with you and Amanda. I expect you to report as soon as you finish this message, and don't worry, the time stamp will let us know when you've opened the file. Zavala out."

"Well... Shit."

Natsu typed in several commands to the console, and dialed in the frequency for Tower Three. He heard several small chirps before the voice of Cayde rang out in to the cockpit. "Greeting guardian. How goes the whole running away thing?"

"Not now Cayde. How's everything on the homefront?"

"Eh, you know." Natsu could almost hear Cayde shrug. "Zavala is pissed that you left without filling out the paperwork. Ikora is pissed because her spies can't find you. I'm pissed because you're out there somewhere, and I'm stuck here. Oh, and your apartment is currently being renovated." Natsu sat up in his seat.

"Why?"

"Let's start off with the obvious then. The door was kicked in, twice it seems. The drywall has waaay to much damage, and the appliances are trashed. Zavala went to beat down your door when you went AWOL, and thought someone had broken in and trashed your place."

"Wasn't like that when I left." Natsu defended.

"Oh we know. It was your girlfriend that did it. She didn't say much, but it seems she went off the deep end when you left. Trashed the place. Ikora dug through her brain a while ago, but wouldn't tell me or Zavala what she found. She's been playing mother goose with Amanda though. Scary how such a cold woman can suddenly be so caring. Anyway, you seem to be the talk of the higher ups all the time, so be ready for that shit storm."

"Well the storm has yet to hit. I kinda found something while I was out and about."

"Where?" Cayde asked slowly.

"Around and about. You know."

"Right. So what did you find? Golden Age tech? Secret military bunker? You find Rasputin?"

"Not exactly. Found someone though."

"Who?"

"I believe you know of Mara Sov."

"You found the Queen of the Reef?"

"Well she technically found me. And she wants to talk to the Speaker."

Cayde didn't respond for nearly a minute. "Okay. When does she want to meet with him? I'm sure we can rig together an escort from the Reef in a few days time."

"Well that's the thing." Natsu said slowly.

"What did you do?"

"We're kinda already on our way."

"How long until you are in Earth orbit?"

"About twenty minutes."

"Kid."

"Yes Cayde?"

"Anyone ever tell you that you're gonna be the death of me?"

"All too often. Muster the welcome wagon Cayde, I'm coming home and I brought some friends!"

There was only a loud sigh before the transmission cut out.

* * *

This chapter has been sitting in my computer for several days, but I've been too sick to edit it properly. Even now, I'm not in the best health, so there are likely mistakes. I plan to read through this whole story and do a massive edit at some point, but that is for when my health is better. It's nothing too serious, just seemed to be one thing after another. Tooth infection trailed by strep throat, trailed by a wisdom tooth coming out, trailed by scarlet fever.

February was a bad month for me.

Anyway, I'm working on the next chapter as you read this. Make sure to leave a review to let me know how I'm doing.

Until next time,

Temper


	17. Chapter 17

Light

Chapter 17

* * *

Natsu stood with Mara, Uldren, and Parsix in the hangar bay of the ketch. The four of them stood in a circle as they conversed and prepared to leave for Earth.

"I still don't want to go to Earth." Uldren grumbled lowly. Mara smacked his arm lightly while Natsu looked over the tablet that contained his ship's information. Seeing the status of the ship was well above optimal levels, Natsu tucked the tablet in to his belt before turning to the man.

"Relax. You don't need to say a single word, and just put on a helmet so you don't have to look anyone in the eye."

"That's not a bad idea..." Uldren spoke slowly. He looked back up at Natsu with a small smirk before walking in to the back of his shuttle and emerging back out with a helmet on. Natsu chuckled as he took in the dark grey reflective metal of the man's helmet.

"You really like the color black, don't you?"

"It works well for any situation." The man's voice echoed through the speaker in the helmet. Mara rolled her eyes as her brother resumed his place by her side. Parsix stood silently with his arms crossed. Natsu looked over to the Eliksni, noting his angered posture.

"Something on your mind Parsix?"

"Not worth concern, my Kell."

"Nonsense. A good leader always makes sure his soldiers are mentally and physically well. Now, speak."

"I am concerned with the trustworthiness of these... people." The Vandal looked to the Queen and Prince with narrowed eyes. Natsu frowned as he mulled over the creature's words.

"I suppose that I should have noted what I was doing was also affecting you all as well. I forget that I am the Kell for the House of Wolves, and not even two years ago, you were all at war with eachother." Natsu hummed in thought before turning to the Eliksni. "So are you concerned with my safety, or is this a matter of holding a grudge?"

"I never supported Skolas after his mad grab for power damned our house, but I will never forget just how dangerous that woman and her warriors are. They were notorious for ambushes and betrayals, and I witnessed many of my brothers die by their hands. My anger will always come second to my concern for my house. You are the future of this house, my Kell, and your safety is priority."

"Well I suppose we should change that..." Natsu spoke before turning to the Vandal.

"How so?" The Eliksni spoke to the guardian. Natsu grinned.

"Well the best way to alleviate your concern is to have you with me."

"How would I be able to do that? You are asking me to go with you to the heart of my race's enemy. I am faithful to you, but I am not suicidal."

"True, normally you would be killed before you even had a chance to exit the hangar. Today is going to be different though." He pointed to Mara. "She is known for leading a Fallen army, and most guardians don't take the time to identify your house by your cloak. Remove your cloak, and we will pretend that you are her escort that was assigned to me. Sound like a plan?"

"A foolish one." Parsix spoke calmly. Natsu frowned before Mara cleared her throat and gained their attention.

"I will be more than happy to cover for you. I need you and your house to trust us if we're going to be working together for the foreseeable future. I'll lie so you can stay with your Kell, and once you see that we have no intention to betray you, hopefully you'll be a bit more trusting of us. I won't deny what we did, but you understand as well as I do that we were at war. It was not about being fair, we can both attest to how extreme our sides were, but it was about breaking the will of the other side. I honestly had nothing against your house, but Skolas needed to be stopped. You were all unfortunate casualties in our effort to ascend to power and stop someone who was truly mad."

Parsix stared at the woman silently for nearly a minute before letting out a sigh and nodding. "You speak valid points. War is a horrible thing for all involved, and I suppose it was worse for us as we were not the victors. Many in this house will refuse your aid, if for no other reason then holding a grudge, but I suppose we must move forward in order to reach our promise land." Parsix turned to Natsu before nodding. "I do not wish to lie about my leader, but if it means I will be able to aid you without hindrance, then I shall partake in this ruse."

Natsu grinned before patting the Eliksni on the shoulder. "I know it won't be easy, but I wouldn't ask this from anyone other than my most trusted soldier." He chuckled when he saw the Vandal's eyes widen. "That's right! Once this is all said and done, and we finish with the Black Garden, I will officially declare you as my Archon. You stood by me, unflinching at the declarations of your own house, and have aided me in making my return home possible. I feel that this is only a small token towards paying you back if this all pans out successfully."

Natsu watched in amused glee as the Eliksni tried his best to contain his excitement, but ultimately failed and jumped in place before letting out a wail, arms raised high above his head in victory. Natsu turned to Mara. "Do you have anything in your colours that could pass as a cloak?"

Mara nodded. "I have a spare cape that Uldren keeps on the shuttle. He can use that." Mara nodded to Uldren, who jogged in to the bay of the ship before coming back out and handing the folded garment to Natsu.

"This is one of the capes of the Royal Guard. Do make sure we get it back when this is all over." Natsu nodded to the man before unrolling the cape. Purple and gold unfurled beneath his fingers, the material shimmering in the light of the hangar bay. Natsu nodded and walked over to Parsix, who quickly snapped himself out of his stupor and took a knee. Natsu draped the material over the Vandal's back before tying it in a rough knot around the creture's neck. Parsix stood up and adjusted the material to properly fit like a cloak before standing next to Natsu once more. Natsu grinned at the Vandal before speaking.

"Okay, seems that we're good to go. You two take your shuttle, and me and Parsix will take my ship. Any objections?" Mara smacked Uldren upside the head when he raised his hand. "Okay, then let's get a move on."

* * *

Natsu let out a nervous sigh as his ship landed in the hangar. He could hardly conatin the jitters he felt, sure he had run through all of the steps of the upcoming meetings, but nothing ever went to plan when it came to him. His canopy hissed as it opened and he could hear Parsix shuffling around in his loading bay. He quickly undid his harness and hopped out of the ship before the loading bay door opened. He managed to stop the mechanic from opening the door.

"So, you are going to see something, and I need you to not freak out. Can you promise me that?"

"Umm..." The mechanic looked confused for a moment before nodding slowly. "I... I guess. I mean I've seen you guardians bring in some freaky stuff." Natsu sighed and nodded before pulling out the tablet from his belt and inputting several commands to it before tucking it back in to his belt. The loading bay hissed open, and Parsix climbed out, slightly annoyed.

"I did not enjoy that. Very compact. Very uncomfortable."

"HOLY SH-" Natsu clamped a hand over the mechanic's mouth to silence him, but the damage was already done. Several other had looked over, and seeing the sight of a Fallen warrior in the hangar caused immediate panic to spread. A siren rang out and the hangar began to evacuate just as the shuttle containing the Queen pulled in and landed.

Mara Sov waited for the shuttle bay door to open so that she could climb out, but the sight that greeted her upon the door's opening shocked her.

It was chaos.

There were people running around the hangar, civilians flooding out and guardians flooding in. By the time she had fully climbed from the ship with Uldren in tow, Natsu stood in front of Parsix with at least twenty guardians focusing their weapons on him and the Vandal. Parsix stood on edge, but had yet to draw the swords on his hip, while Natsu had his hands up in a surrendering gesture, in hopes to appease the guardians. The tension was climbing ever higher when a familiar voice rang out across the hangar.

"What is the meaning of this, guardian? Bringing a Vandal in to the Tower, unrestrained no less! Give me one reason I shouldn't have you shot right now?"

"Because they are with me, Zavala!" The angered voice of Mara Sov was like a bucket of ice on the calamity. Silence fell across the hangar as everyone turned to face the newcomer, none more surprised than Zavala. Mara Sov stood, her royal cloak fluttering slightly in the breeze, eyes full of cold fury as they gazed upon the Awoken titan.

"Mara?"

"That is Queen to you, traitor! You lost the right to speak her name when you abandoned her!" The voice of Uldren Sov rang out. Zavala flinched before looking to the ground and nodding. He raised his gaze and turned it to the guardian and Vandal before voicing his concern.

"Your Highness, may I ask why one of your escorts has brought a Fallen warrior in to my hangar? This is an intense security concern, one that I simply CAN'T avoid!" Zavala stepped forward, Cayde and Ikora stepped out to stand next to the Commander. Natsu noticed Amanda step out of the crowd and stand next to the dark skinned woman.

"The Vandal is with me, the guardian is one of yours. Or have you forgotten the face of one of your most interesting soldiers?"

Zavala turned to the guardian right as he removed his helmet. There was no mistaking the ruffled pink hair, or the annoyed scowl on the face of Natsu Dragneel. Gasps rang out from the surrounding guardians, all of whom quickly lowered their weapons, before Zavala spoke again.

"Natsu? What are you doing with that Vandal? And why is your armour in the Queen's colours?" Natsu only stared at the Commander before snapping his gaze over to Amanda, sighing as the blonde quickly diverted her gaze to the ground. Mara, seeing that Natsu wasn't going to reply, decided to answer the Vanguard Commander.

"I thought he'd look better in the colours of royalty. Not to mention I owe him for saving my brother. His armour was in shambles when we met, and I offered to have it repaired. Don't you like my choice in colour? I even did you a favour and left your little stamp on him, though I figured I'd throw mine on as well. Do you like it, Zavala?"

"Well, I-"

"No need to respond." Mara dismissed him with a gentle wave of her hand. "I know you don't like how I run things, Zavala. You wearing that armour, with those medals and Vanguard emblem, shows that much." Zavala flinched again. "And that Vandal is a member of my guard. I have assigned him to stay with Natsu Dragneel for the time being, both as a way to know where he is at all times as well as communicate with him if need be. You need not worry about Parsix, he is loyal to his Kell, and will not disobey an order. Right, Parsix?"

"Correct, my Queen. I will follow my Kell to death and beyond!" The guardians flinched when the Vandal spoke, most surprised that it could speak english, but all surprised at it's conviction. Zavala pursed his lips in thought for a moment before turning to Natsu.

"And you have agreed to being shadowed?"

"Yes."

"And where did you go?"

"Mars."

"Why?"

"Blow off some steam. Heard there were things that were hard to kill, and I felt like doing something crazy." Zavala frowned deeply as Natsu's eyes had yet to leave Amanda's form. He looked over to see the woman staring at the ground. Ikora stepped in front of the blonde and glared at Natsu, who didn't even bother to flinch.

"You could have been killed."

"Would that have been so bad?"

A shocked silence rang through the hangar at the man's question. He snapped his gaze to the guardians in the hangar before looking over to the Vanguard leadership. Zavala had a shocked expression on his face, Cayde was staring at the wall to his right, and Ikora had her lips set in to a firm line. He could read the disappointment in their eyes, but couldn't bring himself to care. It seemed as if seeing Amanda had reminded him of all of the pain he had been too busy to feel, of all of the anger that was left in him when the grief vanished. He snapped his gaze back to Ikora before looking at Zavala.

"Well? Would it have been so bad if I had died? My time here has just been one torture after another, physically or mentally. I'm tired, Zavala. I'm tired of trying everything to be happy, the only thing I've ever wanted, and getting nothing at every turn. Maybe death would grant me that small amount of peace and happiness, because life just seems to love shitting on me."

"That is quite enough, Natsu." The calm voice of the Speaker rang out over the hangar. His steps were slow and silent, but the crowd parted for him quickly. His robes flowed elegantly, his mask glowing calmly in the afternoon sun. He stepped in front of Natsu and placed a hand on his shoulder, the guardian looked tiredly at the Speaker. "Ending your life does not make it better, it only prevents it from ever getting better. You will do great things, but you must be alive to do them. Do not forget your home, and do not forget your way." Natsu nodded to the Speaker, the masked man nodding back before walking over to the Queen. She regarded the man with respect as he bowed to the woman. "The Tower and Vanguard recognize the Queen of the Reef. May your stay here be pleasant and favorable."

"The Queen of the Reef thanks the Vanguard for their hospitality." The Queen and Uldren bowed to the Speaker. "I do hope that our time here is well spent and that all parties leave happy."

The Speaker nodded before turning and walking towards the exit of the hangar. "Well then, shall we conduct our business first? I feel that you would not want to spend your entire time here discussing politics."

"You are quite right," Mara chuckled as she and Uldren fell in with the Speaker. Mara turned to Natsu and Parsix. "You coming? This whole thing was your idea anyway."

"Right." Natsu spoke as he and Parsix began to walk through the crowd. Natsu could sense the unease of the crowd as they shuffled about silently, most sending wary glances to the Vandal. Parsix merely stared ahead silently and followed behind Natsu as they caught up to Mara and the Speaker.

* * *

"I see..." The Speaker's voice was soft as Natsu finished explaining his plan to the robed man. "And this will not cost the Vanguard any resources?"

"None. We both have armies and are more than equipped for the coming conflicts." Mara stated as she sat next to Uldren, who insisted on sitting between Natsu and herself.

"A Gate Lord though... Those have never been killed, and our information on them is spotty at best."

"My Crows have gathered every usable scrap of data that they could from the outlaying facilities on Mars and Venus." Uldren spoke calmly. The Speaker turned to the man and hummed lowly.

"And would you be willing to share this information?"

"It's yours." Mara stated before her brother could deny the man. "All we ask is that you don't send any guardians to Mars while we are running this operation. As you could guess, seeing an army of Fallen and guardians fighting Vex is something that would be impossible to NOT report. We need to operate with the utmost discretion, and merely want to know if we can count on you to help."

"And why should I?"

"Because you can't afford to have any more guardians killed, and I can't afford to fail when I'm this close to going home." Natsu spoke, arms crossed and frown on his face as he stared at the robed man. The Speaker turned to the guardian and regarded him silently.

"Natsu, it seems as if our paths may be starting to diverge."

"No need to be subtle about it." Natsu joked lowly. "I don't mean to say that I'd kill guardians, but this is going to be a large scale assault. Mara, Uldren, and myself are going to be the only humans on the field. The Eliksni won't hesitate to kill anyone who isn't us."

"Why is that?" The Speaker asked calmly.

"Because the Fallen still despise humans." Mara spoke evenly. "The three of us have earned their respect by killing their leaders and taking their place. They fear our power, and wouldn't dare challenge it. Your guardians are a different story. They're strangers who haven't earned the respect of a house. Your Vanguard is seen as nothing more than protectors of a false god, the very same false god that nearly got their race extinct. They have traveled here from who knows where in order to kill that machine." Mara pointed out the window to the Traveler. "They wouldn't dare fight alongside anyone who would represent the reason they're nearly all dead."

The Speaker nodded before standing and walking over to the balcony, his gaze fixed on the Traveler. "I have spent my life trying to interperet what the Traveler wants, and why it stopped here. Why did it give us all of this amazing technology? What did it see in us?"

"There are many theories as to why." Mara spoke as she stood from her seat. "None can fully explain it though." She turned to look at Natsu, who took to staring at the ground in thought. "The thing he took from the Vex would have the best idea, but we can only ascertain the motives of the Darkness. In the case of the Vex, it's to feed. It won't stop until the Traveler is devoured, and every scrap of Light with it. That's what we are trying to stop."

"Fine." The Speaker spoke lowly as he turned back to the group. "Let me know when you are going to be going to Mars, I will shut down the bounty beacons and declare the planet a hot zone. It will give the planet to the Cabal, but if gives us a chance to stop the Darkness from progressing, then I guess we'll have to take it."

"Worry not," Mara stood next to the Speaker. "My witches have foreseen a great number of guardians being raised. A new wave of warriors will be approaching soon, and they will do great things."

"Like?"

"They will kill the Black Heart. Crota will awaken, and be slain. They will even stop misfortune from falling on my people in the Reef. You have greatness coming, better than anything that has been. This wave will turn the war in your favour and give you hope for the future."

"I do hope you are right." The Speaker sounded relieved and exhausted at the woman's words.

"My witches have never been wrong before." Mara nodded.

"Then I believe our business was conducted. When can I expect this assault to take place?"

"One month." Natsu spoke as he focused on the Speaker and Mara. "One month from today and we launch the Mars Offensive. That gives us time to resupply and fortify. I learned the hard way that my army was very ill suited for the assault. This gives us time to gather the necessary supplies and set up a beach head and deploy point. The point will be fortified over the coming weeks, and when the assualt comes, we will deploy from there and hit them with everything we have." Natsu turned to Uldren. "Your Crows seem best suited for stealth and scouting. Can you have them find a safe spot and begin to fortify the point, as well as set up a radio grid?"

"Yes." Uldren nodded. "I will lead them myself in establishing this base. I shall depart tomorrow. What will you be doing in the meantime?"

"I will be leading a scouting mission in the cosmodrome. I need to find some things."

"Like what?" Uldren questioned.

"Golden Age tech. Rumor has it that Rasputin is somewhere in that graveyard, isolated by the Iron Lords. I need to find him and see what all I can gather from his data logs."

"What are you looking for specifically?" Mara asked the pink haired man.

"Weapons. The history logs spoke slightly of great orbital cannons. Do you know what a KBS is?"

"No." The Speaker said. "Enlighten us."

"I found documents in the remains of DC. They spoke of a Kinetic Bombardment System under Rasputin's control. It is a satellite that drops a tungsten rod from space to the planet's surface."

"What's so special about that? I feel that a missile would be better than a hunk of metal." Uldren spoke as he crossed his arms. Natsu turned to the man.

"Normally I'd agree with you, but this rod reaches Mach ten before it hits it's target. That's ten times the speed of sound. It takes less than three minutes for that rod to hit the surface from space, and the sudden displacement on the surface was reported to cause an earthquake that devours everything within a fifteen mile radius."

"That's-"

"The power of a small nuclear weapon..." The Speaker seemed shocked as Natsu stood and began to pace the chambers.

"Exactly! But it would leave none of the fallout. With a weapon like that orbitting all planets, the Vanguard's chances of victory would be difficult to argue. You would be able to break any bunker to pieces with a single shot. Bases would lose all locational and tactical value, and enemy troops would be forced to evacuate. The laser cannons mounted to large carrier class ships would be used to sweep away any and all ships that dared to try and attack the satellites."

"Why would you give us this power, Natsu?" The Speaker asked. The guardian turned to the man and scrubbed his face with his hands before speaking.

"Because you need an edge. War isn't about doing the right thing. War is about killing them until they surrender, or there's nothing left. The forces fighting us now stood no chance against the Golden Age tech before the collapse! The fact that we are where we are now is because they caught us unprepared. We were so busy fighting eachother that we couldn't launch a proper defensive, not to mention the Traveler being hit and brought back down caused chaos as well. Everyone had a different idea on what to do, and it left the planet weak and unable to defend itself properly. I want to give you all the ability to take back your galaxy when the Black Heart is defeated and I leave."

"I see... Well then I suppose I can only wish you good luck and hope for your success." The Speaker nodded as Mara and Uldren walked out of the room. Natsu turned to leave as well, but the Speaker's voice caught his attention. "Natsu. I don't want to tell you that we're counting on you, but our options are limited. If you deliver this technology, the blueprints and knowledge to create everything, you may have given us our victory."

Natsu nodded and exited the chamber as the Speaker took a seat at his desk. He gently rested his head on his hand as he stared at the mindless reports on his desk.

He had a lot to process.

* * *

"I take it that we will be taking to the Devils' territory?" Parsix spoke as Natsu exited the doorway. Natsu turned to see the Eliksni leaning against the doorway boredly. Mara and Uldren stood at the base of the stairs, both waiting for him as well. He nodded to the Vandal.

"Yes. Saxon told me that they managed to isolate Rasputin somewhere in the Cosmodrome. I don't intend to release him, or give him back control over any of his weapoons, but I do want to search through his files and find any information on these defense systems."

"What makes you so sure that he has them?" Mara asked, arms crossed as she stared at the guardian. Natsu just looked to the woman before shrugging.

"Not too much, I guess. Way I see it though, Rasputin is an ancient war mind. An AI built to run the defense grid over the whole planet. He's the last war mind as well. If anything has a detailed record of weapons and development, it's got to be him. I'm sure if we really dug through the Clovis Bray facilities on Mars, we could find something, but this seems a tad bit safer."

"Makes sense in a 'last hope' kinda way." Mara nodded. Uldren scoffed and turned away.

"I am going to leave tonight, sister, seeing as how our business is concluded here. Will you be coming with me?"

"Not quite yet, I'm afraid." Mara stated. Uldren stopped and turned to face her. "I still have to speak with the Vanguard leaders and establish a stable line of communication. I will open the Reef as far as the Vestian Outpost, but no further. This station will act as an embassy of sorts, and our main communication point with this planet. I need to make sure to let the Vanguard understand that these our the boundaries that I have set, and will not budge further. I imagine that I will be here for about a week."

"Then I will stay-"

"There is no need for that, Uldren." Mara spoke tiredly. "I will be staying in the Tower, where nothing can harm me, and am only going to be in constant meetings. You, on the other hand, need to be meeting with the troops and establishing a beach head and stable communications. Three weeks is not enough time to do that."

"But what about-"

"I will be fine!" Mara exclaimed with a glare. "I have Natsu here to turn to if I need anything, and if I finish early, then he will return me to the Reef. Now, I order you to go and do your duty!"

Uldren was silent, his helmet not betraying any of his thoughts or emotions, before he sighed lowly and turned to Natsu. "Not a moment after her business is done!" He stabbed a finger to the guardian. Natsu only nodded as the man turned away with a huff and stormed off. Once he was gone, Natsu turned to Mara.

"You know it isn't going to take a week, right?"

Mara gave him a devious smile. "I know. I just needed a bit of a break from him. I understand his care for me, but it can be quite smothering. He forgets often that I am the more powerful sibling."

"Well what do you intend to do in your spare time? It isn't like the Tower has a lot to offer to visitors."

Mara walked up and pat him on the shoulder. "Then I guess that just means that you are going to have to keep me company. It would look really bad for the Vanguard if the guardian I showed favor to suddenly abandoned me, wouldn't it?"

"So, I'm trapped doing this?"

"Essentially."

"You're an evil woman, you know that?"

Mara gave an amused huff. "I simply know what I want, and am not afraid to go after it." Natsu sighed before speaking again.

"You know that I'm taken, Mara."

"By the blonde in the hangar earlier?"

"How did you-"

"You were staring at her, and she was the only one not staring at you. It wasn't that hard to figure out at a glance. Gotta say, she's cute."

"Can we not talk about this right now? We need to go meet with the Vanguard, and then we have to figure out where you'll be sleeping tonight."

"What? Is your bed too small or something?" Mara teased him playfully.

"And like that, we're going to the bar after the meeting!" Natsu angrily shuffled towards the Vanguard chambers, Mara practically skipping behind him in joy.

* * *

"So it's settled then?" Cayde spoke in a bored tone, his feet propped up on the table while he rocked forward and back in his chair. Mara sat across from him, having laid out her plans to open the Reef to the Vanguard as well as open up communications and bounties as well. She nodded and turned to the bored pink haired guardian next to her, frowning as the man's helmet hid his features. He had equipped it shortly before entering the Vanguard chamber, and hurried in to the room before Mara could question him as to why. She recieved her answer moments later when she walked in to the room to see the three Vanguard leaders seated at the large table, and a blonde woman from the hangar next to the dark skinned woman. Natsu sat next to an empty seat across from the Exo known as Cayde. Mara had taken the seat quietly and began the meeting. Natsu hadn't spoken a word more than a grunt or nod to any questions directed towards him. The meeting ended with Cayde and Mara shaking hands, and Natsu excusing himself out while the exchanged small pleasantries. Mara noticed the blonde woman stare after the escaping guardian sadly, and could only sigh as she decided to take action.

"I've met all of you, but nobody has explained the young woman to me. Is she a guardian?" Mara feigned ignorance as she stared at the blonde woman. Ikora was quick to speak on the woman's behalf.

"No. She is one of our mechanics, but is stationed as my assistant as punishment."

"Oh? Punishment for what?"

"Destruction of Vanguard property."

"I see." Mara walked over to the blonde woman. "I am Mara Sov, Queen of the Reef. Who might you be?" The blonde woman stared at her dully before responding.

"Amanda Holiday. I'm just a mechanic. Do you need anything?" Mara wanted to roll her eyes at the woman's tone, but decided against it for the sake of being friendly.

"Not anything from a mechanic, no. But I was hoping that you could escort me to the nearest bar? It's been a long day, and I could use a drink. You look like you could use one as well. So would you please? I'll treat."

Amanda looked between the Awoken woman and Ikora before nodding slowly. "Sure. I could go for a quick drink. Follow me."

* * *

"So," Mara nodded to the blonde sitting across from her in the booth. "Tell me a bit about yourself. I'm not one for drinking with strangers, and you seem like an interesting person.

"Not much to know. I joined up with the Vanguard after finishing school. Mom died when we were coming to the city when I was a girl. Been going from Tower to Tower ever since."

"What about dreams?"

"Not really anything going for me right now. I guess one day I'd like to whole family thing, but I'm not too sure it'll happen for me." The blonde stared down in to her drink before tipping the glass back and draining the contents. "What'd you say this was again?"

"Honey whisky. A favorite of mine."

"It's sweet."

"Indeed. Now, back on topic. Why don't you think the family life is for you?"

"Eh, I guess it's just not in my future. I can't seem to find a man that DOESN'T have something fucked up with them. I think I'm just cursed." Amanda topped off her drink. Mara stared at the woman curiously.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

Amanda stared in to her drink once more. "Yes... No... I don't know!" She grumbled loudly before taking another sip. Mara could tell she was enjoying the drink from the way her eyes would flutter closed and her shoulders would relax slightly. "I think I do, but we had a fight."

"A fight? What about?"

Amanda stared at the woman for a moment before continuing. "As a member of a royal family, what are the rules for heirs?" Mara quirked an eyebrow before leaning back in her seat in thought.

"Well I suppose the more the better. I know at some point that I, as Queen, will need to produce offspring. I technically should be doing that already, but I've yet to come across someone who holds my eye."

"What about... What about with the men? What's the rule for them?"

Mara rubbed her chin in thought. "I'm not a hundred percent. Kingdoms that have a tiny royal family will often implement some sort of breeding program. Often times, a prince or king will take on a harem for the sake of producing heirs and expanding the royal family."

"That just seems like such bullshit. How come the man gets these whores to pop out kids for him as king, and the queen is just expected to be okay with it? How can she still stand being around the man after knowing how he sullies their bond so easily?"

Mara hummed in understanding. She still wasn't privy to everything that happened between Natsu and Amanda, but she was getting a better image by the moment. "What makes you think the king doesn't love his queen?"

"What do you-"

"Royalty has a duty. Ensure the continuation of their kingdom. Do I want kids? I'm not sure. Will I have them? Without a doubt. It is my duty, and the duty of any king or queen, to produce a continuing line of descendants. Yes, the king may have a harem, but understand this." Amanda stared intently at the woman.

"What?"

"He will always love his queen. Society isn't known to be very open minded, so the idea of polygomy disgusts most, but sometimes you just do your duty. I have a different opinion on it, though..."

"And what would that be?" Amanda spoke as she nursed her drink. Mara tossed back her drink before sighing lightly.

"If you love them, TRULY love them, then what's it matter? Love is such a complicated emotion that everyone tries to simplify, but you just can't. Nobody can explain love perfectly, as almost everyone feels it differently, but that doesn't give people the right to simplify it and force it on to society. I think that it's as possible for two people to love eachother as it is for three people. Or five. Or even ten. Though it is something to always be careful of. Too many people tends to complicate everything. It is important to spend time with those you love, and while quality is more important than quantity, it is hard to show true love in fifteen minutes."

"What about the other girls? Are they just all supposed to accept it and move on?"

"The best case scenario is that they love each other. Perhaps not as lovers do, but at least as family does. It is almost impossible for women who hate each other to share a man. Not unheard of, but it leads to infighting and more often than not ends in tragedy."

"So what should the woman do? Swallow her pride and accept it?"

"No. The best thing to do is to be honest. If they love eachother, and trust eachother, then discussing everything is the best course of action. Once everything is out there, then they can work together to form a plan of action. Working together and being completely honest with eachother is always the best course of action. Secrets lead to mistrust, and that just causes a rift in any relationship."

Amanda felt like she was going to break at any moment. The conversation with Mara had opened up a lot to her, and having royalty answer her doubts and questions honestly was refreshing. Ikora had been doing her best to speak with the mechanic with logic and reason, but the dark skinned woman was just to emotionally cold. Amanda didn't want to seem cold hearted, but it was almost like Ikora had never been in love. Amanda had to hand the woman credit though, Ikora had been very protective of her recently, and the therapy she had been giving her privately was somewhat helpful.

But it wasn't enough.

It helped her see the problems, helped lay them all out in a neat little row for Amanda to address, but at just didn't cut it. It didn't provide her any answers that were helpful. She didn't want to leave Natsu, and she certainly didn't want him to leave her, but she had so many doubts. She knew that sitting down and talking with him, laying everything out and discussing it, would alleviate many of her doubts, but she was afraid. She was afraid that she'd find that Natsu didn't truly love her. She was afraid that he would leave her alone if he found someone better. She knew she wasn't perfect, but she felt that she tried her hardest to be a good girlfriend to him. She didn't want to be just another conquest to him; a trophy to be collected and flaunted around. She wanted to be his partner. She wanted to stand by his side and work with him. She wanted him to be able to rely on her and trust her with anything. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a familiar voice ring out.

"Mara? Where are you? I've found you a room to stay in for your time here."

Amanda watched the purple and gold guardian walk down the aisle of the bar slowly before his head snapped over to the awoken woman. Amanda shrunk down in her seat when she heard his heavy footsteps coming towards the corner of the bar where they were seated. His boots stopped and she heard his sharp intake of breath when he realised Mara wasn't alone. The woman pretended to not notice the tension between the two people.

"Oh did you? That's very kind of you. Where will I be staying?" Natsu shook his gaze away from the blonde woman and back to Mara.

"Zavala... Zavala set aside a private room for you in the barracks. It should have everything you need."

"Oh? And where will you be staying, should I need anything?" Mara noticed the way Amanda's eyes snapped over to the Awoken woman in suspicion.

"Well seeing as my apartment in still being renovated," Natsu saw Amanda flinch from the corner of his eye. "I will also be staying in the barracks. I will be in the room next to yours. Try not to need anything though, I'm tired and would rather be left alone."

"How kind of you." Mara deadpanned. "Well can you do me a favor and escort me there then?"

"Sure. Follow me." Mara turned to Amanda before offering a kind smile.

"Would you like to come with me? I'm not quite tired, and you're very interesting to talk to. I could use the company, seeing as my escort is being moody." Natsu grunted from his position near the door. Amanda stared at Mara before snapping over to Natsu before sighing.

"Sure. I'm off tomorrow anyway." She motioned to the bottle. "You got any more of this?"

"Yeah." Mara chuckled before walking over to the bar and grabbing several more bottles off the counter. "I got three more."

"Okay then, let's get going." Amanda fell in behind Mara, but refused to look at the guardian that she knew was staring at her.

The walk was painfully silent. Every step from his armoured boots clicked against the ground, her heart would echo the noise with a loud thump. Her stomach felt like it was going to burst at any moment. Her throat felt like she had swallowed hot syrup. She could barely taste the honey whisky over the metallic taste that suddenly flooded her mouth. She stopped and placed a hand against the wall next to her. Her head was swimming, her ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton. Her eyes snapped up when she heard the muffled voices, her eyes focused to meet the concerned gaze of Mara. The woman's glowing blue eyes snapped from her to Natsu several times as the guardian pushed the Awoken woman out of the way. Amanda felt her eyes slide closed as the bliss of sleep took over, the last feeling running through her were a pair of strong arms and a warm embrace.

* * *

Amanda sat up slowly when consciousness returned to her. She felt the thin blankets pool around her waist as she slowly took in the room. She expected to have woken up in the cot that had been set up for her in Ikora's room, to see the deep brown walls and bookshelves. What greeted her instead was grey walls and a soft bed covered in white and grey blankets. Amanda shifted around in the bed when she realized she hadn't woken up where she normally did, only to recoil in shock when she heard the door to the restroom across the room open up. She turned her head to see Mara Sov stroll out of the restroom, a towel wrapped around her chest and hair. The woman, upon noticing Amanda staring at her, could only let out a small gasp.

"Sorry! I haven't had a shower since yesterday morning and I thought you'd still be asleep." The Awoken woman quickly while she grabbed the pack she had in the corner and hurrying back in to the bathroom. Amanda watched the door shut and heard the sound of clothes being shuffled. Mara walked out several minutes later, fully dressed in a pair of dark grey cargo pants and a black short sleeved shirt. Amanda watched the woman toss her pack down by the bed before grabbing the chair from the desk and sliding it next to the bed. Mara took a seat and began to dig through her pack.

"Where am I?" Amanda asked slowly. Her head was pounding. Everything was too bright and too loud. Mara gave a low whistle as she dug through the pack.

"You're in my room. Fainted. Ikora and a couple medics came and checked you out while you were asleep. You shouldn't drink on an empty stomach. Ikora deduced that it was a mix of starvation, dehydration, and stress. Your body just took the alcohol and amplified it by a factor of ten. Knocked you clean out."

"Ah." Amanda said slightly embarrassed. "Um... Thanks for carrying me here."

"It wasn't me that got you in here." Mara spoke as she continued to dig through the bag. "Man he really thought of everything." She mumbled to herself as she pulled out several small silver packages and set them on the bed.

"What?" Amanda asked confused as the woman continued to talk to herself.

"Yeah. I didn't carry you here. Natsu did. Damn near threw me across the corridor when he saw you going down. He picked you up and sprinted to my room. He put you in on my bed and told me to keep an eye on you while he got help." Mara gave a small laugh. "You would not believe how long it has been since anybody dared to order me around. A bit of a strange feeling."

"Natsu brought me here?" Amanda asked lowly.

"Yup."

"But this is your room."

"Yeah. Natsu felt bad and let me crash in his room." Amanda felt her heart sink.

"He did?"

"Yeah. He let me in to his room after Ikora put you in the clear and took off. An hour later, he came back with this pack. Said it'd have everything you'd need. Grabbed me a change of clothes too. Tossed it to me and said that he'd catch some rack time in the bar."

"Oh. So he didn't sleep in his room last night?" She asked with a bit of relief. Mara took notice of the woman's relief and nodded.

"Yeah. I fell asleep thinking that he was going to go and crash in the bar. Woke up about two hours ago and found him in here. Apparently, at least according to Ikora, he spent the whole night in here looking after you."

"He did?" Amanda spoke weakly.

"Yup. I came in here this morning to check on you about two hours ago and found him leaning against the wall, falling asleep on his feet. I kicked him back to his room. He said for you to eat these. They're ration bars. A full meal in a small cracker bar." She reached in and pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to the woman as she opened the silver pack and began to munch on the cracker. "He said you might like these ones. 'Apple and cinnamon flavoured' he said with this weird smile on his face. Didn't say anything after that and just walked out to his room. I'm pretty sure he's asleep right now.

"That's good." Amanda spoke quietly, her gaze locked on the blanket and she finished the cracker. "He needs to get his rest. Guardians need to be well rested to fight at their best."

"I think it's more than that." Mara spoke slyly. Amanda jerked her gaze to the woman to see her smirking. "I think he cares a great deal about you. Dare I say, he may even love you."

"It's not like that!" Amanda protested.

"Oh?"

"It's... It's complicated. There's so many differences between us..." She spoke sadly as she took a large drink of water.

"So you wouldn't care if I went after him?"

Mara hadn't expected to be coated in the water that the blonde woman suddenly spit up. "Why would you want to go after him?" She asked suddenly. Mara wiped her face before taking in the woman's panicked expression.

"Why wouldn't I? He's strong, smart, loyal, and certainly not bad looking. Plus, if the way he treated you is anything to go by, he's very caring. Any woman would be lucky to find a man like him."

"Even if he was like those kings and queens we talked about yesterday?" Mara sat back in mild shock at the blonde's defeated tone.

"What do you mean?" Mara asked curiously.

"What if he was like that king that had to have a harem? Would you still be with him then, knowing that you had to share him with other women?"

"Perhaps."

"What?" Amanda spoke, shocked, at the woman's simple statement.

"I said perhaps. It all depends on if I can find him loving me as much as I would love him."

"But how would you know any of that? Would you just guess and hope for eveything to work out?"

"Of course not. I wouldn't let my love blind me from my logic. I would speak with him, and depending on how that went, I would either stay with him and we would work together. Or..."

"Or?" Amanda asked on the edge of her bed.

"Or I would leave his lying ass. Anyone who can't be honest with you, doesn't trust you. And how can there be love without trust? No, I would see my way out of his life and leave him missing what he could've had." Mara answered with a shrug.

"How are you so confident? You barely need any time to think about any of the questions I've asked you and you make it all sound so simple!" Amanda exclaimed at Mara's answer.

"I'm good at war. I've fought battles where the odds stated that I should be dead a thousand times over. I've conquered the odds and rose to a rank in power that none thought possible. You know what I've learned through all of those battles when it comes to the heart?"

"What?" Amanda asked, seemingly held in suspense of the woman.

"If you want something, go for it. It will never go exactly as planned, but if you truly want it then you'll improvise. You're a mechanic, right?"

"Yeah?" Amanda said with a quirked head.

"So you know how to think on your feet, and you know that not every repair goes the same. Sometimes you're in an engine for ten minutes, sometimes you spend your whole day in one. It's the same with people. Some people are easy to deal with, and others are a pain in the ass. But, if you love the pain in the ass, then you'll always find it worth it to fix it back in to shape. Do you just give up when it gets a little rough in the hangar?"

"No." Amanda spoke.

"So then why are you doing it in your love life?" Mara poked the woman in the chest. "You have a strong heart and a fast mind, so why is this suddenly such a large issue for you? Do you love him?"

"Yes." Amanda spoke confidently.

"And you don't want to let him go?"

"Never!"

"Then go tell him that and stop moping around!" Mara declared loudly. Amanda climbed out of the bed, now feeling refreshed from the ration bar and rest, and began to stomp towards the door. She was suddenly halted when a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back towards the bed. Amanda let out a huff and turned her annoyed gaze to the Awoken woman.

"Why are you stopping me now? I just got this fire back and I gotta go tell him!" Amanda spoke angrily as she tried to tug her arm out of the woman's grasp. Mara held her firm and gave her a sheepish grin.

"And I'd love to watch you do that, but he has been awake for the last probably four days. I think he needs to sleep more than either of us do. Keep that fire, and tell him when he wakes up."

"How will we know when that is?" Amanda watched Mara begin to chuckle before placing a hand gently on the woman's shoulder and letting a devious smirk come over her face.

"Well I say we give it a few more hours, and then we sneak in to his room and watch him sleep."

"Why?"

"Doesn't the thought of your pretty face being the first thing he sees when he wakes up please you in some way?"

"Not that!" Amanda said, blushing furiously. "I meant why do you want to be with me for that?"

"Hmm..." Mara put a delicate finger to her lip before smirking at the blonde and leaning in. "Maybe that's the kind of person I am. Maybe I like to watch." Mara practically purred the last sentence. Amanda blushed furiously at the woman's words before stammering over her words.

"Wha- what do you mean? Why would you want to watch me and Natsu?"

"Because you are both so... interesting. I can't find my thoughts drifting away from either of you for too long. He talked about you a lot, you know?"

"He did?" Amanda asked meekly.

"Yeah. Sat with me and got drunk on my whisky and then wouldn't shut up about you. Didn't say who you were, but he did tell me a bit about the situation between you two. This was right before our little stand off and him almost killing me. Then he went and took a shower, and now we're here!" Mara's chipper tone threw Amanda through a loop.

"He tried to kill you?"

"No, he ALMOST killed me. Could've if he wanted. Man, that Thorn is dangerous." Mara said with a wave of her hand.

"He used Thorn on you?!" Amanda yelled.

"Nope. I tried to shoot him with it. Did you know that gun has a mind?"

"You tried to kill my boyfriend?" Amanda asked through grit teeth. Mara looked at her for a moment before grinning devilishly.

"Anyone ever tell you that you're cute when you're angry?"

"Don't change the subject!" Amanda screeched through a deep blush. "You tried to kill my boyfriend!"

"You realize that you're admitting that he's your boyfriend now, right?"

"He's been my boyfriend this whole time! And you tried to kill him!"

"No, I wanted to test him. I didn't expect his gun to almost kill me. It's all okay now. We're all friends now."

"Well, at least tell me why met with him in the first place."

"He was doing some fighting on Mars. He saved my brother's life and I wanted to give him my personal thanks."

"That's all?" Amanda asked suspiciously. Mara merely shrugged and smirked at the blonde.

"That's all I'm going to tell you. I'll leave Natsu to fill you in on all the finer details..."

"You sure do seem to be very interested in my boyfriend." Amanda spoke lowly. Mara noticed the fire in the woman's eyes and decided to test it.

"Maybe I am. Maybe I've seen something that catches my eye. It's like I told you earlier, I go after what I want. What will you do about it?"

"You-" Amanda was about to climb off the bed when Mara placed a hand on her shoulder and forced her back down on to it.

"You should relax. While I do admit that I want Natsu, I'm not as underhanded as to try and take him from you. Plus, I am the Queen of the Reef."

"But you said-"

"I take what I want, yes, but not from people I like. I like you, and I like Natsu. You're both so fascinating. You asked me about royalty a lot last night and earlier today, am I to assume that this is directly involved with Natsu?"

"It's a long story." Amanda said, hoping that it would dissuade Mara from investigating further. The Queen merely sat back in her chair and propped her feet on to the bed.

"Darling, we've got nothing but time."

* * *

"So that's everything that happened." Amanda spoke quietly. She had just finished recalling the whole incident between her and Natsu to Mara. The Awoken woman had been silent through the entire story, her glowing eyes focused solely on Amanda. The blonde shied away when she saw the woman's gaze still fixed on her. "I'm a pretty terrible person, right?"

"I'd say yes and no." Mara stated calmly. "You were kinda thrown in to a situation that didn't give you time to think. A severe reaction was to be expected. That being said, the words you said were quite a bit on the extreme side."

"What was I supposed to do?"

"Wait for him to explain himself properly, I'd say. He was gone for three months, and home for less than five hours. Maybe something had happened in that three months and he just didn't get a chance to explain everything to you."

"Maybe..." Amanda wrung her hands together while silently judging herself. "But how can I talk to him after everything I said to him?" Tears came to her eyes. "I told him that I hated him..."

"Do you?"

"Never."

"Then apologize to him. If you're sorry, and you mean it, then he'll see. Natsu is very observant, and I'm sure he'll see how sorry you are."

"I guess... I guess I owe you one."

"Want to know how you can repay me?" Mara asked seriously, causing Amanda to stare at the woman.

"How?" Amand aasked, unsure of herself at the moment when she saw Mara's eyes sharpen, the blue eyes glowing seeming to intensify.

"I want in."

"I-in?" Amanda asked, having an idea on what Mara was talking about. The Queen leaned forward and gently cupped the blonde's face.

"You and Natsu. I want to join you two on whatever it is you have. I saw the way he looks at you, the way his eyes shine when he talks about you. I can see the love you have for him when you were telling me about everything you two did. I want that, or at least a chance at that."

"Why would you want to join us though? You're the Queen of the Reef! You could literally have anyone in your kingdom." Amanda asked as she struggled to pull her face from the woman's grip. Mara tightened her hold and gently forced the blonde to look in to her eyes.

"I have tried. They're either too formal, or too power hungry. Nobody can hold my interest the way the two of you have, and I want to spend more time with both of you. I've never felt this way in my entire time in the Reef. You both talk to me as an equal, you both make me feel like I'm just a simple person. When I sit and talk with either of you two, I don't feel like every single decision I make is going to affect the lives of thousands. Do you have any idea how good that feels?"

"But I'm still so confused." Amanda spoke, no longer stuggling in the woman's grip. Mara sighed before leaning forward and pressing her forehead against Amanda's. She chose to ignore the blonde's blushing in favor of answering he woman.

"It's so lonely for me in the Reef. I'm not a person to them. I'm just the Queen to them. All they see me as is the ruthless conqueror. I'm not asking for you to welcome me in to your hearts, at least not yet. I just want a chance. Please?"

"I don't know." Amanda felt her will crumbling at the slightly tearful and pleading look that Mara was giving her.

"Just once. I just want one night to truly feel what you do. I just want a single night where I can feel wanted by someone I truly respect."

Amanda felt her resolve crumble when she caught the all to familiar look in Mara's eyes. It was the same look she had been seeing in the mirror whenever she was feeling especially depressed.

Longing.

She felt the longing all too often. She would long to be held when she had a rough day at work. She longed to sit across from a loved one and speak to eachother over dinner. She longed to feel his caress over her body in the throws of passion. Instead, she she came home to an empty bed. She ate dinner alone, her thoughts the only company she had. Whatever throws of passion she held were isolated to her taking care of herself in the empty bedroom, her imagination attempting to distract her from the cold reality that she was alone. But through all of these cold thoughts in her mind were drowned out by one simple fact.

She wasn't alone.

Natsu would one day come through that door. He would pull her close and bury his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent. He would eat dinner with her and they would talk long in to the night of his adventures. He would listen to her speak of working in the hangar, seemingly enraptured by her complaints that were so mundane that she would bore herself with them. He would never voice his boredom, he would never even show it. He would gaze upon her with loving eyes as they spoke, and when they had decided it was too late to continue, they would each shower before making love and falling asleep in eachothers' arms.

She saw the desire for those same things in the eyes of Mara Sov.

"Once." Amanda sighed. "After that, it's up to Natsu. You've been a good friend, and while it feels very rushed considering I've known you for less than a day, I feel that I can trust you with this, just this once."

"You won't regret this. I promise." Mara leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on Amanda's lips. The blonde felt shock for several moments before sighing and leaning in to the kiss. It was simple, chaste, but the emotions and gratitude it conveyed brought both women to understand eachother in a way that words never could. Mara broke the kiss and leaned back in her seat, smiling gently at the deep blush on Amanda's face. The blonde could only shake her head before sighing and staring at the woman.

"I suppose I should try anything once, especially this with all things considered." Amanda murmured to herself lowly. Mara merely nodded and drew the blonde's attention back.

"So what's the plan?" Mara asked the blonde. Amanda placed a finger to her lip in thought.

"Well... I need to talk with Natsu. I have to apologize for everything that happened..."

"Okay."

"After that, I wouldn't mind a bit of alone time with him first." Amanda blushed at the devilish smirk Mara gave her.

"Oh? Looking for a ride before the show starts?" Mara chuckled as Amanda began to blush to the roots of her hair.

"It's not like that! I just... Want to apologize to him properly."

"Okay then. I'll give you and him a chance to ravish eachother properly. Should be a good warm up. I take it that you'll get me when you're ready?"

"I still don't know if he'll agree to it..." Amanda spoke lowly.

"I think he'll go for it if he knows that you're okay with it." Mara spoke, the thoughts of her time alone with Natsu in the bar flashing to the front of her mind. She rubbed her thighs together subtly as the wave of heat rushed through her body. She suppressed a shiver before looking to the blonde. "For now, why don't you go over to his room? I'm sure he'd enjoy a cuddle buddy." Mara gave a small smirk when Amanda suddenly squeaked and stood up from the bed.

"Okay great talking to you gotta go bye!" Amanda spoke in a hurry and quickly exited the room. Mara moved over to the bed and let out a sigh as she relaxed in to the sheets. She heard the muffled thud from the door opening and closing, then silence. She let her eyes slowly close as she decided to catch a little nap before her hopefully enjoyable night.

* * *

Amanda sighed as she gently shut the door behind her. The room was pitch black, the lights were off and windows weren't a thing in the barracks. She shuffled towards where she hoped the bed was, when a light chirping caught her attention. She turned to see the single yellow eye of Specter, the Ghost staring at her silently.

"He misses you." The Ghost whispered lowly.

"I know."

"He loves you."

"I know. I'm here to try and make it right. Do you think you could give me a bit of light in here?" Amanda whispered to the Ghost. Specter slowly lifted from the desk and hovered towards the center of the room. Amanda saw the Ghost begin to emit a low blue light, giving her just enough brightness in the room to see Natsu's sleeping form facing away from her. She gently tip toed over to the guardian's bed before lifting the blankets and sliding in to them as quietly as possible. She gently pressed her body against Natsu's back and inhaled his scent. Her eyes closed and her stomach fluttered as the familiar scent flooded her nostrils. She had to supress a moan as her senses were flooded with the comfort that his presence brought her. She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt Natsu shift around. She kept quiet as the man turned around and wrapped an arm around her waist and dragged her in to his chest. She felt his nose bury itself in her hair and inhale deeply, raising the hairs on the back of her neck.

"I missed you." Natsu mumbled sleepily. "So much."

"I missed you too." Amanda whispered in to his chest.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you anything." Natsu whispered as he ran his hand up and down her back slowly. "Everything just kind of happened so fast. I wanted to tell you everything, but I wanted to wait for you to sober up first. I didn't expect to have you dragged in to my mind, and I really didn't expect Igneel to say everything at once." His hand clenched her shirt as he buried his nose just above her ear and inhaled again.

"It's okay. I'm sorry for what I told you. I know you wouldn't betray me, but after Jack, I'm just so afraid of getting hurt again. I trusted him, and he turned out to be a bastard, but nobody saw who he really was. I was just scared that you would turn out to be the same as him. In hindsight, I was foolish for not trusting you, but I didn't want to get hurt again." Amanda muffled in to his chest as a sniffle escaped her. Natsu felt his shirt getting wet from her tears. "I'm sorry for what I said to you. I could never hate you. I love you." She let out a gentle sob. Natsu gently pried her off of his chest.

"Specter, turn on the lights." The lights blared on a moment later. "Can you give us a few minutes? I'll call you out when it's good."

"Affirmative, Natsu. I will be with Parsix at the end of the hallway." The Ghost spoke as it hovered over to the door and scanned the panel next to it. The door opened with a hiss and Specter floated out of the room. Natsu turned his attention back to Amanda.

"Amanda, look at me." He felt his heart clench as he took in her tear filled expression. He brought his head forward and pressed his lips against hers. He felt her melt in to the kiss. They broke the kiss several moments later, and Natsu took the chance to speak before they could go any further. "You know what I am going to be doing. You know that you won't be the only one. I love you, and I never want to hurt you or make you feel unloved. I need to know where we stand though. If you stay with me, you will be getting yourself in to a life where you'll have to share me. Can you handle that?"

Amanda stared at him for a moment before sighing and sitting up. Natsu let her, his heart beating painfully at the rejection he knew was coming. "I'm not going to lie and say that I'm okay with it. I hate the thought of sharing you, and I can't mention how uncomfortable I am at the prospect of you being with other women." Amanda stood up from the bed and walked to the center of the room. Natsu felt his stomach dropping as he watched her stop in the room, still facing away from him. "But I love you. I can't imagine a life without you now, and I suppose that I need to take this in tow with everything else that you've done." Natsu's jaw dropped when Amanda turned back and faced him. "That being said, don't think you can just go and fuck a girl and then bring her home. She needs my approval. Got it?"

"What?" Natsu asked dumbly.

"I said that I'm not going to leave you, jackass. I love you, and that means you aren't going to be rid of me yet."

"Does this means that you'll come back with me to Earthland?" Natsu asked quietly, not quite believing what was happening. Amanda responded by pulling her shirt up over her head and tossing it across the room before undoing her pants and shoving them, along with her panties, to the floor and stepping out of them.

"I'm not accepting this harem shit to stay here and rot while you go back home. I'm in it for the long haul, but don't forget. You don't get to fuck a girl without my permission, got it?" Natsu gulped at the angry glint in her eyes.

"Yes sir!" Natsu held back a small shiver at the evil smirk that Amanda had given him.

"I'm the Queen Bitch, got it? Fuck up, and your balls will meet every tool in at my workbench. Got it?"

"Aye!"

"Say it!"

"You're Queen Bitch, and I won't do anything without your permission!" Natsu squeaked out at the topless blonde's simmering glare.

"Good. Now, get naked."

Natsu couldn't strip his clothes off fast enough for Amanda's taste, as evidenced by her growl when he stood up and pushed his pants and boxers around his ankles, when she tackled him roughly to the bed. She grabbed his wrists and placed them roughly on her hips before leaning forward and brushing her nose against his.

"Now that I've laid down the law, it's time for the rough and loving make up sex, wouldn't you say?" She smirked impishly at his eyes clouding over before smashing her lips against his. She smiled internally when she felt him responding eagerly to the kiss, his tongue moving out and swirling with hers. His hands began to roam over her naked hips. She let out a small moan when his hands slid up and cupped her breasts and began to massage them. She broke the kiss and sat up, grinding her soaked womanhood against his hardened cock. Amanda lifted her hips, grabbing Natsu's erection, and impaling herself upon him. Neither did anything to stifle the loud moans that erupted from both of them as Amanda began to raise and lower her hips slowly.

Natsu let out another moan as he felt Amanda lean forward and begin to nibble on his neck. He felt his head spin as his hips raised up to meet hers, her teeth scraping along his neck as she began to pant in to his ear. He felt drunk as the smell of sex enveloped them. His hands traced every curve he could reach, squeezing and massaging in areas that he had mapped out before. He was rewarded to the sound of her low moans and the feeling of her pussy fluttering around his cock.

Amanda felt like she was on fire, inside and out. The feeling of Natsu's cock sliding in and out of her, his hands seeming to caress and massage her at the perfect time, and the feeling of his muscles clenching under her hands as he tried to control himself to her pace. She felt herself clenching in the beginnings of an orgasm, and so did Natsu if the moan he gave was anything to go by, and decided to push him along and give him his release. "Are you close?" She breathed in to his ear.

"Yes." He moaned as a harsh pant escaped him.

"Don't hold back." Amanda shrieked as Natsu gripped her hips roughly and began to thrust up in to her. "That's it! Don't stop! Fuck fuck fu-NATSU!" Amanda could only stare up at the ceiling as in a silent scream, her vision going white as she felt him release in to her. She felt him thrust several more times in to her, each one rewarding her with another spurt of cum before her vision finally returned to her as she felt Natsu sitting up and embracing her. She moaned gently as she felt his lips kiss and nibble against her neck. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders as he began to whisper sweet nothings in to her ear. She leaned in to him and began to trail kisses back up his jaw, both of them moaning gently as they shared another kiss. Amanda gently pried Natsu's arms from around her and climbed up shakily to her feet. Natsu stared at her in a mix of lust and confusion as she stood in the middle of the room.

"What's wrong?" Natsu asked as he moved to stand as well. Amanda stepped forward and pressed a hand on his shoulder, keeping him seated on the bed. She stepped back away from him and stood next to the door. Seeing the panic in his eyes, she held up a hand.

"I'm not leaving, so relax. I love you, probably more than I probably should with all your constant leaving and the newest information. But I love you anyway." Amanda held out a hand and checked her nails. "I guess I'm just a kind and generous lover, but it's like you said earlier. I'm your Queen." She smirked when Natsu began to stare at her in confusion. "Hmmm... 'Queen Amanda, the Generous' I'd say that title fits me quite well, wouldn't you?" Natsu scoffed and returned her smirk.

"More along the lines of 'Queen Amanda, the Short' considering your... royal stature." Natsu wanted to chuckle when he saw Amanda scowl at him, but with her sex messed hair and his seed running down her thighs made him reconsider. He liked what just happened, and very much wanted it to keep happening. "Sorry." he mumbled just loud enough for her to hear. She rolled her eyes.

"You're just lucky I love you. Plus, I still haven't finished apologizing to you."

"Amanda, you don't-" He was silenced when she held up a hand.

"I need to understand what the road ahead is going to be like. I need to keep myself together and not lose my mind when another girl comes in to your life. I NEED to show you that I trust you, and that we are in this together, and the only way to do that is to show you." With those words Amanda gave a firm knock on the door and unlocked it from the panel on the wall. Natsu stared for several minutes before he covered himself as the door shuffle open.

And Mara Sov walked in.

The Awoken woman looked over to Amanda and smirked. "Looks like you had quite a bit fun. Heard you two through the wall." Her smirk turned devious. "Was it a good ride?"

"The best." Amanda smirked back, internally fighting the urge to cover herself as the Awoken woman eyed her.

"I suppose I could take your word for it, but how do I know you aren't lying?" Mara gave Natsu a cheshire grin as Amanda turned and looked at Natsu with the same grin.

"I suppose you'll just have to try it for yourself. Natsu!" That seemed to snap him from his stupor.

"Wha-?" Mara chuckled.

"It seems he is stunned by my appearance. How flattering." She spoke as she strode up to Natsu, as silent as a wraith, before leaning in close to Natsu's personal space. Natsu leaned back and shot a panicking look to Amanda. She merely stared at the two, visibly tense, but nodded.

"I told you, I need to get used to this. We talked, and we seem to get along really well. She gave me the advice that brought me in to this room, and asked this as return. I agreed to this to pay her back, and train myself to get used to it."

"Are you sure, Amanda? We don't have to-"

"We do!" Amanda corrected him forcefully. He shut his mouth. "Your dad told me the stipulations to your deal. He told me what I am to expect with a future with you. I want to be with you, and if this is what I have to do, then I will LEARN to deal with it." She took a deep breath and stared at Mara before turning to Natsu. "This is the first and hardest step. I give you permission to do this, but don't forget who your queen is."

"Is it me?" Mara asked innocently. Amanda silenced her with a glare.

"No. He is the king, and I am his queen. You are just a lucky woman." Amanda growled out to her. Mara held up both of her hands in surrender.

"Joking. Just joking." She gave a sheepish chuckle before standing up and gracefully walking back to Amanda. Mara gripped the woman's wrist and dragged her back to sit next to Natsu. Amanda took a seat and scooted closer to Natsu, feeling somewhat more relaxed as their shoulders touched. Mara looked to the two before speaking. "I want you both to agree to this." She turned to Amanda. "I like you, Amanda. You treat me like a normal person, and I can see that under the cloud of depression, you have a kind heart." She then turned to Natsu. "And you. I really like you. You can relate to me probably better than anyone in the Reef aside from my brother. You are strong, but you are also kind. You, just like Amanda, have treated me as normally as people like us can be. I respect you both a great deal, but I want all of us on the same page before we continue. If there's a time to back out, it's now."

Natsu turned to Amanda. "Are you sure about this? You don't have to do this now, you know?"

"I know." Amanda sighed. "I know that we don't need to do this now, but I can't really see a better time to do this. Your contact with the Reef means something more than what either of you is telling me. It scares me to think that any day now could be your last in the Tower. Your last with me. I love you, and I don't ever want you thinking that I hate you or resent you for this. I want to prove to you that I trust you, and that you can trust me. Whatever your business in this universe is, I feel it's coming to a close, and I don't want to be left behind wondering what could have been." Amanda let out a nervous sigh as she finally vented her thoughts and fears. Natsu gently caressed her cheek, turning her gaze to focus on him. She met his eyes, and felt her fears melt away when she held his gaze.

"I've been afraid too." Natsu confessed. "You're right to be wary of my dealings with Mara and the Reef. We have our own business going on aside from the Vanguard, and if it all pans out, I'll be leaving back to my universe. There's still so much that I need to tell you, so many things have happened that I want you to know about. Things have gone in a strange direction, but you are always the reason for me to come home." He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, enjoying the way she closed her eyes and smiled gently. "I have been so afraid that you wouldn't come home with me, and I've been terrified on how to broach the subject. You have been my driving factor in this world, the reason that I keep going. You are what keeps me stable, and the thought of losing you kills me. I never want you out of my life, and you never have to question my trust for you. I want you with me for every step of the way from now, until, well forever."

"I love you." Amanda spoke tearfully. Natsu wiped her tears away and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"I love you too." Natsu whispered back. Mara watched, a gentle smile on her face. If she were honest with herself, she would admit to being somewhat jealous of her blonde friend's relationship to the Kell. She crushed that feeling, choosing the larger and better feeling of joy for her two friends. She clapped her hands, drawing the attention of the two lovers back to her.

"I can't help but admire you both. It takes a lot to swallow your pride and be honest, and the way you two handled it just now, shows me that you two will go far in life together. That being said, have you both come to a decision?"

Amanda and Natsu shared a look before Natsu turned to the woman. "Yeah." He grinned, his hand squeezing Amanda's. "I think we have."

"Well?" Mara asked curiously. Amanda chuckled.

"Well... You're a bit overdressed to be in this room, don't you think? Meet the dress code or fuck off." Amanda teased playfully. Amanda felt like she would be blinded by the beaming smile that Mara gave her. She turned over to her boyfriend and kissed him gently. "I've had my fun with you for right now, now I want you to have some fun too." Her hand danced down his chest and gently gripped his softened cock. "Look at her." They both turned their attention to the now topless Mara. "She's stripping naked. For you." She felt him coming to life in her hand. She began to stroke him gently. "She's getting naked, and she wants this fat cock." She gave him a rough pump, causing him to moan out. "She wants this inside of her." Amanda whispered hotly in to his ear. Natsu bit his lip as he stared at the stripping woman.

Mara caught his gaze out of the corner of her eye and gave him a small smirk before turning away, slowly unbuckling her belt and sliding it out of the belt loops. She turned around and faced Natsu, enjoying the way that Natsu's gaze fell to her breasts. She could feel her nipples hardening as her arousal grew at the clouded gaze that was locked on to her. She walked forward and tossed the belt behind her. The belt clattered loudly against the back wall, the buckle impacting the ground being the only sound to echo over the sound of Amanda's strokes and Natsu's low pants and moans. Mara and Amanda shared a look before Mara spoke.

"It isn't nice to leave someone out of a conversation that involves her." Mara spoke as she slowly undid the button on her pants. Amanda gave Natsu several more strokes before responding.

"I'm just telling him how badly you want him. How you want this fat cock to stir you up." Amanda felt herself blushing as the heat coursed through her body at the look Mara was giving her. Mara reached up and cupped her breast with one hand while the other traveled down to the zipper on her pants. The room seemed to fall silent as the two lovers seated on the bed watched the zipper come down, each tooth popping loudly as the woman's gentle hand pulled it down.

"I do want it." Mara moaned as she roughly massaged her breast. "I want it so bad. I want you to make me feel like you make her feel." Natsu watched the zipper finish its descent. Mara lowered her pants just enough to slide a hand down the front of her pants and tease her womanhood. Her moan of his name was low, barely more than a whimper, but Natsu's ears caught it easily. He felt so tightly wound up, that any moment he could snap. He felt that he was about to shatter in to a million pieces as he stared at the blue skinned woman pleasuring herself. "I want you to fill me up. I want you to fuck me so hard that I can't think straight." Mara groaned out loudly as she pulled her hand out of her pants and held it under Natsu's nose, smiling in satisfaction when she felt his tongue come out and lap her juices off of her fingers. She pulled her hand back and forced her pants and panties all the way down her legs before stepping out of them. Amanda let go of his cock and scooted away from the man, sensing how close he was to losing his sanity, and stared at the Awoken woman. Amanda almost felt sorry for what she knew was about to happen, but couldn't say the limp she had for several days after teasing him to this point wasn't worth it.

"Now, Natsu." Mara purred seductively, catching the clouded gaze of the guardian. "Do you think you can give me what I want?" Mara felt her nerve start to vanish when she saw his eyes seem to focus sharply on her. She wasn't prepared for how quickly the man could move, and soon found herself staring up at the ceiling. Her vision was soon obstructed by the man she had been teasing for the last few minutes, his eyes animalistic as he stared at her naked form. She felt a shiver crawl up her back as Natus buried his head in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply. The growl he released reverberated through her in all of the best ways. She stared in to his eyes for a moment, his gaze flickering between her and Amanda. Amanda merely rolled her eyes.

"I would've said something by now. Go on, give it to her hard!" The blonde ordered. Natsu gave a fanged smirk before looking down to the Awoken queen.

"As my queen orders..." Natsu ran his hand down the naked woman's body, tracing over every curve and cupping her ass, before sliding his hand lower and grabbing her leg. He wrapped it around his waist before reaching down and aligning his cock with her entrance. He felt his pride swell when he pressed the tip in to her pussy and she called out his name. He reached down and grabbed her other leg before wrapping it around his waist as well. He felt her feet lock behind his back and couldn't help but count himself blessed as he thrust himself in to her, burying his cock in the woman to the hilt. Her back arched and she let loose a powerful scream as Natsu began to piston in to her roughly.

"Not-not so hard!" Mara moaned as Natsu continued to pound in to her. "Take it easy or I-oh GOD!" Mara was cut off when she felt Natsu's calloused hand grab on to her left breast and begin to massage it. She could only grab on to Natsu's head and hold on while an orgasm rocked her body while the man tweaked her nipple, but Natsu didn't show if it had affected him in any way but to release a loud moan. Mara pulled him in for a kiss as her world shattered around her, Natsu's furious pace prolonging her orgasm for a time she had thought impossible. Her tongue swirled around his in a frenzy that was only broken when Natsu sat up to adjust himself slightly before grabbing her hips and thrusting in to her from his seated position. Each thrust in was met with him pulling her towards himself, and each time he was rewarded with a wail of pleasurefrom the blue skinned woman. He met her gaze with each thrust, enjoying the way that her eyes glowed a deep blue. His gaze traveled lower to her breasts, enjoying the way that they bounced roughly with each thrust. Each breast was capped with a dark blue nipple, hard as a pebble as he gave the woman pleasure. His gaze traveled lower, over her toned stomach, to where they were connected. He would've never imagined himself having sex with a blue skinned woman, but life had a way of throwing weird things his way. He watched her sex as it engulfed his cock with each thrust, the small tuft of snow white hair crowning her sex soaking up the fluids that the woman was emitting. Natsu idly wondered how the woman tasted before shuffling on the bed caught his attention.

Amanda had decided that she was done watching, and while uncomfortable at first, couldn't deny how arousing it was to watch someone so reserved like Mara moaning like a whore. With her decision made, she shuffled up higher on the bed and hiked her bionic leg over the Awoken woman before straddling Mara's face. She looked in to the surprised eyes of Mara Sov as the blonde dug her hands in the white locks of hair and dragged the moaning woman's mouth up to her snatch. "What?" Amanda smirked to the surprised woman. "You think I just wanted to sit by and watch? No dice." She rolled her hips against Mara's mouth and bit her lip to stifle a groan from the pleasant friction. "Besides, I'm letting you ride my boyfriend so you- FUCK!" Amanda cursed loudly as she felt a warm tongue invading her canal.

Mara moaned at the taste of the blonde, as well as the cum that Natsu had deposited earlier. It was thick as her tongue scooped it in to her mouth and she felt the sticky substance flow down her throat. She idly compared it to a bitter pudding as she wrapped her hands around the blonde woman's thighs the stop her from moving around too much. She could easily find herself addicted to the flavor. She felt a large satisfaction as Natsu's thusts slowed down to a stop as he stared at his girfriend riding Mara's face, squirming violently and moaning when the Awoken woman hit a particularly sensitive spot.

"Are you just going to sit there?" Mara teased from under the blonde. "Or are you going to fuck me while I drink your cum from your girlfriend?" Natsu felt the last of his control snap at the woman's dirty words. Grabbing her hips and taking a deep breath before fucking the woman as hard and fast as he could. He loved the scream that the woman gave, only muffled by his girlfriend smashing her pussy down against the blue skinned woman's mouth. Amanda let out a loud moan as the orgasm took her over, Mara's tongue lapping greedily at the juices from the mechanic's gushing pussy. Mara let out a whine as she felt the bubble inside of her close to popping and then violently bursting when she felt Natsu's fingers tease her clit. She cried out at the same time as Natsu, both in delightful bliss. Natsu gave several rough thusts as he continued to fill the woman with his cum and Mara could only groan as a second orgasm hit her with the feeling of lava settling in her womb. Amanda crawled off of the woman and fell limply to her side, both panting as the shared a glance.

"That was-" Amanda was interrupted when Mara kissed her, the blonde tasting hers and her boyfriend's cum on her tongue. She couldn't deny that, mixed with the flavour of Mara's mouth, it was a taste she didn't mind in the least.

"I know. Thank you." Mara turned to the panting guardian at the foot of the bed. His eyes seemed to sag as he stared at the two beautiful women. "Thank you both."

"Our pleasure." Natsu gave a weak thumbs up before chuckling. "It was all of our pleasure."

"Shut up over there." Amanda weakly kicked his thigh. "Come lay down. I want to cuddle." Amanda turned her gaze to Mara. "You want in on this too?"

"I'd be a fool to say no." Mara grinned tiredly as they both shuffled away from each other. Natsu took the hint and settled in between the two women and wrapped his arms around them. They both lay their heads against his chest as the two women listened to his slowing heartbeat as the three drifted to sleep. It wasn't until they were all unconcious that tendril of Light began to emerge from Natsu and in to the two women.

* * *

Specter hovered up and down the corridor outside of Natsu's bedroom. Parsix stood at the end of the hallway, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. The Ghost hovered over to the Eliksni and spoke.

"Do you think he forgot about me?" Specter asked nervously. Parsix shrugged.

"Likely. A mind is in another realm when sex is involved."

"But Natsu wouldn't forget about me! I'm his Ghost. He'd be dead if it wasn't for me." The little being declared as it began to hover up and down the hallway again. Parsix shrugged again before closing his eye, intent on catching a nap before it was time to move out. He figured now would be a good time to get some rest.

Nobody knew when the time to rest would be after the Mars offensive started.

* * *

Holy shit. This is, I believe, the longest chapter I have ever written. I believe it is just a bit shorter than my one shot, and that was 16k words. I wrote this one pretty long, both as a form of thanks for over 100 people following this story, and as a bit of an apology for taking so long in my updates. I've had this chapter mostly done for the last week, but I wanted to throw in my thank you when I broke 100.

Doesn't seem big, but it is.

I'm surprised that even one person follows my writings, let alone 113. It's good to see people enjoy what I write to some extent.

New work schedule is kicking my ass, so I may be a bit late with my next chapter, but it's going to be big. Very big.

The Mars Offensive is hopefully going to be my last chapter in the Destiny universe.

I've started writing it, but there's a lot that I want to get typed up and edited.

Stay tuned and I hope you enjoyed,

Temper


	18. Chapter 18

Light

Chapter 18

* * *

"Aw god damn it! Not again!" Amanda roared in to the lavascape that was her boyfriend's soul. She began to stomp around, not caring about her nudity in the least as she kicked over random rocks and began to search for the cave that she knew his father would be in. "Where are you now, you big scaly bitch?! I'm here again, and I'd rather deal with you than the shadow or the demon, so get your ass out here!"

"Who are you yelling at?" Amanda turned to see Mara Sov, equally nude, walking calmly towards the blonde. Amanda rolled her eyes before answering the woman's question.

"I'm yelling at my idiot boyfriend's father. That asshole is in here somewhere, watching us like a fucking creep!" She yelled the last part before continuing. "And he is one of four people that knows why we are both here, and how to get out."

"And where exactly is 'here'?" The blue skinned woman asked as she took in the burning mountains and lava rivers. Amanda turned to here and opened her mouth, but another voice interrupted her.

"That would be my soul." They both turned to see Natsu, flanked on both sides of him were his demon and the shade. The demon sneered at both women while the shade merely stared at the two, which seemed to unnerve Mara more than the demon. Amanda shared the sentiment as she eyed the silhouette warily. Natsu brought the focus back on to himself. "Well, my soul my not be the right term. Our soul?" He looked to the demon and shadow, both just shrugged before he turned back to the two women. "Right. We're still working on who gets what in my brain, but this area seems to be where everyone ends up. Anyway... Uhh... Welcome?" He finished lamely. The demon next to him smacked a hand against his face while the shade gave a small nod to both women before speaking.

"Yes, I believe I should welcome you as well. It is customary for guests to recieve a formal welcoming, right?" He turned to Natsu, who only shrugged. Both then turned to the demon, who grunted.

"Don't fuck up this time." He growled out to Amanda, who only flinched, before the demon turned his gaze to the nude blue skinned woman. "Blue huh? Can't say you don't make it work. Same warning as the blonde, don't fuck up."

"Right!" Natsu gave an akward chuckle. "These are two of the occupants of my soul. The shadow is the Isolated Mind, we're looking in to a better name. I was thinking Carl."

"I will not be referred to as Carl." The shade spoke, annoyance present in his monotone.

"Whatever. Anyway, he's the Vex part of my brain, and the demon over the is END."

"END?" Mara questioned, her gaze turning to the bat winged demon, who only glared back at her.

"Etherious Natsu Dragneel. It's a long story, but the summary is this. I was him before he was him, and now he's him, and I'm me, but we're both us." The demon kept pointing back to Natsu and himself as he spoke. Mara pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Okay, just going to nod and accept it." The Awoken woman turned to the shade. "And what can you do? Or are you just harmless now?" She taunted with a smirk. The shade merely stared at her before holding up a hand. Mara fell to her knees as tendrils of pure light began to drag from her body and in to the extended hand.

"I am here, but I can always devour Light. My appetite is endless, and yours tastes delectible." Mara could feel the malice in the being as an ice cold chill began to seep in to her soul. Natsu smacked the shade upside the head, causing it to stop absorbing from the woman, before speaking.

"Apologize and give it back. You're being rude to our guests." The shade held it's hand up once more and the tendrils of Light crept back in to Mara. She felt her energy return as the shade spoke.

"My apologies. I had interpreted what you said as a request for a demonstration. That is an error on my part." Mara stood back up, panting in exertion, before turning back to Natsu.

"These are some powerful voices in your head." Natsu chuckled and rubbed his hand sheepishly against the back of his head. Amanda, tired of being out of the conversation, huffed and stepped forward just close enough to roughly poke her boyfriend in the chest repeatedly.

"That's all well and good, but why the fuck am I here? And why is SHE also here?!" Amanda pointed to Mara, who only took mock offense to the woman's tantrum.

"What's wrong with me being here? You didn't seem to mind me when you were riding my face to orgasm!" The blue skinned woman spoke with a huff, giving a small smirk when Amanda began to blush and sputter.

"That's not- I was just... I mean... Wha-?" The blonde was broken from her embarassment when everyone heard a low chuckle. All eyes turned to see the great fire dragon flying down from the sky. He landed roughly in front of the group before folding up his wings and staring at the two women.

"Go figure that the next time I see the runt, and she's still insulting me."

"Oi! Who you calling runt fuckface?!" Amanda screeched out to the dragon. Igneel huffed out a stream of smoke at Amanda, feeling satisfaction when it dissipated to reveal the blonde mechanic now covered in black soot from head to toe. Mara began to laugh as the blonde began to try and wipe the soot from her face, giving up after several moments to stare at the dragon in rage. "Cover me in all the dirt and soot all you want, but you're still just a fuckhead!"

"I agree!" END spoke up from beside Natsu, quickly ducking behind the man when the dragon focused on him with a glare. Natsu held his hands up in surrender, but couldn't move with END holding him by the shoulders and preventing him from moving.

"Be silent, all of you. I brought you three here for a reason." Igneel spoke seriously to the guardian and the two women. Natsu stepped forward after shaking himself free of END's grasp, and the two women went over to stand by the pink haired man.

"Okay then, Igneel. What's up?"

The mighty dragon lowered his gaze, taking a moment to make eye contact with his son and the two women, before sitting back up and speaking. "The last time that two of you were here, there were some words spoken that left me in a very bad place." His gaze narrowed on the blonde woman. "If I were outside of this body and you were to insult my son in the way you did, I would have devoured you. I care little for your opinion of me, but I will not let you insult the child that I adopted and raised to be better than me. I may not be in control in here, but those two over there will listen to me." He nodded his head towards the scowling demon and the shadow. "That shadow, I've never seen anything like it, but it has one goal. Do you know what it is?"

"No..." Amanda shook her head slowly and turned to the shadow, shrinking back slightly as a chill ran through her at the red eye staring at her.

"My goal." The shade spoke calmly before pointing to Natsu. "Is to make sure that he stays in a stable state of mind. I must make sure that he maintains his sanity for the sake of myself, and my freedom depends on his mind being whole."

"And how far will you go to make sure it remains stable?" Igneel asked calmly.

"I will devour anything that dares to try and shake that stability." The shade stared at Amanda, who averted her gaze to the ground.

"In here," Igneel spoke lowly to the blonde. "You are nothing more than your soul. You can not lie, and you can not hide. If you are devoured by that shadow over there, that is your soul being eaten. Do you know what that means?"

"I'm not-"

"It means you die." Igneel interrupted the blonde. Amanda stared in shock at the dragon. "Your soul is linked to his when you're here. This isn't a dream, this is as real as can be, but I'm sure you already know that." Amanda nodded, her thoughts dragging her back to several days prior. She shuddered when she realized how easily that shadow could have ended her life. Igneel spoke up once again. "The fact that you're here, and all of you are as naked as possible, means that you must have apologized and then some if the other young lady is anything to judge..." He chuckled when both women stared at the ground, flustered. "But I've given you your only chance. Everything is too far along for you to have doubts, and what he is going to need is your support and knowledge. You're incredibly smart, I can see it from the memories I have access to, and I'm trusting you to look after my son. Can you do that?"

"Yes." Amanda nodded, holding the dragon's gaze. She had no doubt in her heart anymore. She knew that she would follow Natsu to hell if he went, and he would never need to question her loyalty to him. Igneel nodded before turning to the blue skinned woman.

"I don't know you, and apparently my son doesn't know you too well either. Care to explain to me how you found my son inside of you so quickly after meeting him?" Mara gulped nervously as all eyes focused on her. She composed herself before letting out a sigh.

"The heart wants what it wants." She waved a hand dismissively at the dragon, only to find herself held firmly in his grasp as the shadow stepped forward as well.

"Were you not listening?" Igneel spoke calmly as he held out his other hand for the shadow to climb on to. Once the shade had, Igneel raised him to stand next to the trapped Mara. "We can just as easily kill you here, so I would recommend that you be less vague in your answers. Now, one more time, what are your plans for my son?"

"And my host." The shade spoke calmly as it held up a hand to the woman.

"I don't want to be alone anymore!" Mara yelled out. The shade withdrew his hand before Igneel set him down.

"Explain." The dragon spoke calmly.

"In the Reef, I'm seen more as an object than a person. I'm held on this pedestal and revered as some form of god. I have things that I want, that I NEED!" Mara spoke desperately. "I crave someone who will treat me as an equal, someone who will not be afraid of my power. I'm seen as the strongest of my kingdom, and I can see the fear in their eyes. They try and hide it, but I can always see it. I hate it! I want someone who cares about how I'm feeling because they care about ME! I want to have a family, and have friends. I've only realized recently that I'll likely never have it in my own home. I'm a prisoner to my power and duty to my kingdom, and I'm so alone for it." She took a calming breath before staring the dragon in the eye. "I pursued your son with the intention of getting to know him for the sake of politics, but I can't deny my growing feelings for him. He treats me the way I crave to be treated, without being told to do so. His heart is kind and his mind is strong, not to mention his loyalty is unbreakable. I respect him more than I respect most people, and I want to be close to him."

"It could be dangerous." Igneel spoke slowly to the woman. Mara gave a small smirk.

"I think he's more than worth the risk."

"Very well." Igneel set her down next to the gaping Natsu. "I am Igneel, the Fire Dragon King. You have my approval. Same warning to you as to Amanda, Mara Sov. Don't screw up or you won't live long enough to regret it." He looked to both of the women. "Understand?"

Both women nodded.

"Good. Now," Igneel raised his hand up and flicked Natsu across the landscape, the man flying violently across the ground with a scream. "Get out!"

Mara and Amanda both vanished quickly from Natsu's mind. The man stood up slowly while staring at the dragon. "Amanda's right." He took a deep breath when Igneel stared at him curiously. "You are a fuckhead!" The man vanished before Igneel could roar his insults to the guardian.

* * *

Natsu sat up in the bed, squinting in a slight amount of pain as his father's insults echoed around his head. He turned his focus towards the two women that had also sat up. He let his eyes wander for a moment to appreciate the view, but was broken out of his appreciation by a snort. His gaze raised up to meet Amanda's before quickly darting away.

Busted.

He let out a sheepish chuckle before rubbing the back of his head. "So uhh... What now?" He turned his gaze to meet both of the women. Mara sighed and stood from the bed, stretching her arms high above her head and letting out a loud yawn.

"Now? Now we all shower. Everything smells like sweat and sex, and while I don't mind the smell, I think it'd be smart to get cleaned up. Besides, don't you have to show your girlfriend something?"

"I've already seen that." Amanda spoke with a smirk. Mara rolled her eyes.

"Not that. I'm talking about his house."

"I live with him. I've seen that too."

"Not that kind of house." Natsu correctd Amanda. He sighed when the blonde turned a curious gaze to him. "I'll explain later. For now, let's all get cleaned up. Need me to wash your back?" He let his eyebrows wiggle at his girlfriend. Amanda chuckled and shook her head.

"I think not. I'm sore, and another round may result in me not being able to walk for a couple days." Natsu sighed dramatically before turning his gaze to Mara, who only held up her hands.

"I'd love for some help in the shower, but I can't fool around too much either."

"Ha. You're limping." Amanda smirked at the Awoken woman. Mara puffed out her cheeks and turned to the mechanic.

"And I don't regret it. Now hush or I'll hold you down and drink the rest of your boyfriend out of you. I'm sure there's still some left." Amanda gulped at the predatory gaze that the blue skinned woman was giving her before blushing and hiding herself under the covers with a squeak. Natsu just chuckled before standing from the bed and stretching. He snorted when he saw both women now focused on him, or rather his equipment, causing both women to look away with a blush.

"Don't stare if you don't want any right now. Now," He turned his gaze to Mara. "You said something about a shower?" Mara nodded dumbly as Natsu strode by her and in to the bathroom. Both women heard the shower turn on before he poked his head out of the bathroom door. "You two coming?" He asked before retreating back in to the bathroom. Mara turned to stare at the open mouthed Amanda before speaking.

"Well?"

"I-I mean I guess. To get used to it, you know?" She added hastily at the end. Mara smirked as the blonde stood up and began to walk by her, only to jump with a squeal when the Awoken woman delivered a loud spank to the mechanic's rear. The blonde quickly shot in to the restroom with a curse while Mara chuckled and limped her way in to the bathroom after them, intent on getting clean before the hot water was gone.

* * *

"Okay, so what is it that you have to show me?" Natsu heard his girlfriend speak over the headset from the back of the shuttle. After their shower, which made Natsu realize that a larger shower was a definite must, and everyone getting dressed, Natsu and Mara dragged Amanda to the hangar. They all ignored the sulking Specter and chuckling Eliksni that followed after his Kell and the limping women. Once they all got to the hangar, Mara dragged Amanda in to the back of her shuttle with Parsix while Natsu sat in the pilot's seat. Several minutes later they were flying through space, towards the dark side of the Moon.

"You'll see in a minute. Just calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down when you won't even tell me where we're going."

"If you're good," Mara's voice crackled over the headset. "Maybe Natsu will let you experience sex in zero gravity!" Natsu wanted to laugh when he didn't hear a peep from the blonde after that. He stared at the console when a little yellow light began to blink. He switched his comm over to the appropriate channel.

"Go for Dragneel." He spoke calmly. He heard to growls from the Eliksni on the Ketch before the voice spoke clearly.

"Prepared to recieve. Prepared to dock?"

"Affirmative. Prepared to dock."

"Good. We have you from here." The voice crackled out as he let the Ketch take over his ships guidance system. He relaxed back in his seat as the shuttle neared the Ketch before docking. Once everything was settled, Natsu climbed from his seat and moved to the passenger bay in the back. Both women had unbuckled and stood up as Natsu approached the bay door. Inputting a command on the tablet on his belt, the door opened with a hiss. Natsu walked down the ramp, Mara and Amanda following after him, and Parsix after them.

Amanda shielded her eyes from the glare of the hangar they had landed in. She tried to think of what hangar had lighting this bright, before writing it off as one of the Reef outposts. She was broken from her musings right as her eyes adjusted to the lighting, and what she saw shocked her.

Fallen.

They were everywhere. She couldn't see another person or droid as far as she could see, and fear gripped her. These creatures could kill her so easily, just like they had killed so many others. Mothers would tell children stories of the Fallen that prowled outside the wall, eyes glowing with evil and mouths salivating at the prospect of eating naughty children. Her mother would tell her similar stories on their pilgrimage to the Last City in order to keep her from wandering away from camp. She felt somewhat glad that it was the Hive that had killed her mother, or she would probably be in much worse shape. She stopped in her tracks and retreated slowly back towards the ship. She felt herself impact something solid and turned, coming face to face with the silent Parsix.

"Are you well?" The Eliksni asked gruffly. Amanda's voice seized and she could only shake her head slowly. Parsix stared at her for a moment before nodding gently. "My Kell!" His voice carried easily across the hangar. Natsu and Mara both turned to see the pale face of Amanda, her eyes darting in every direction in seeking retreat. "It seems that your mate is ill. Perhaps I should call a medical team?" Natsu strode calmly over to Amanda, Mara close behind, before Natsu reached up and gently cupped Amanda's face. He forced the woman's gaze to meet his.

"Look at me, Amanda. It's okay. Breathe with me, okay?" He took several loud breaths, his gaze locked with the sharp brown eyes of his lover while she slowly mimicked his actions. Her pupils began to focus on his and her eyes cleared up a bit more. After a few minutes, she had regained herself. Natsu placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Focus on me okay? They won't hurt you because they know what I'll do, so just relax. Parsix, tend to the ship for me then meet us on the bridge." The Eliksni nodded before belting out orders to several of the Dregs.

"Okay." Amanda sighed before allowing the some of the tension to ease from her shoulders slightly. Her gaze met his as he nodded before lacing his fingers with hers and gently pulled her with him. She let herself be guided by him as they made their way to wherever their destination was, trying her best to ignore the glowing white eyes that followed their every move. They walked down several corridors, Amanda focusing on the feeling of Natsu's gloved hand holding hers. She was snapped from her focus when Mara spoke up next to her.

"Had I known that would get me the prince charming treatment and such a sweet kiss, I would've frozen up as well." She smirked impishly at the mechanic. Amanda glared at Mara before clenching Natsu's hands in her own when they passed by a group of Vandals and Shanks. She felt her heart warm when Natsu's hand clenched hers back, his thumb rubbing soothingly over the back of her hand as they continued on. She relaxed as they approached a large door. The door slid open and Amanda could only stare in small wonder at the humongous Servitor that was installed in to the wall. She saw strangely dressed Vandals walking between illuminated panels. They were all holding tablets, punching in random information on to them as they wandered through. Amanda could only liken it to those old videos of ballet, where the dancers would all move around eachother in perfect coordination. She was broken out of her musings when Natsu chuckled.

"Amazing, isn't it?" He asked her as he dragged her further in to the room. "These Eliksni are known as Splicers. They value and manipulate technology onto and into themselves."

"How are they not running in to each other without looking up from their tablets?" Amanda asked curiously.

"Nueral implants. They got ahold of some Vex bodies on Mars and discovered a way to bastardize their communication systems. Cost them a few Splicers, but it seems that they got it."

"How do you know all of this?" Amanda turned to him as he summoned Specter. She watched him let the Ghost out of his hand before it floated over to the giant Servitor in the wall. The Ghost sent out a beam of light in to the center of the Servitor's lense before the giant orb began to chirp and whir. The Ghost returned to Natsu before fading away in to light as it stored itself. Natsu turned back to Amanda before drawing a deep breath.

"Well... Remember when I got back and I told you that I found something in the wild while coming back?"

"Yeah?" Amanda spoke slowly as everything started to connect.

"Well... It wasn't really a thing, so much as a bunch of things. This," He motioned to everything around them. "Is the House of Wolves. This is their Ketch."

"And why are we on a Fallen Ketch?" Amanda asked, only to jump in shock when she heard several growls around her. She turned to see the Vandals glaring at her.

"They don't like that name. The official name for their race is Eliksni. As to why we're here... well I'm kind of their Kell." He spoke slowly. Amanda just turned and stared at him.

"Their what?"

"Their Kell." Mara spoke as she strode by them and towards the center of the room. "It basically translates to 'King' in their language. I am the Kell for the House of Judgement." Mara rolled her eyes when a series of growls erupted through the room. "And I will gladly take on anyone in this room that thinks they're better than me!" She humphed smugly when the growls stopped. "Anyway, your boyfriend is a king, and you are standing in one of his two ships that make up his kingdom."

"Is this true?" Amanda asked as she met Natsu's gaze, who could only nod dumbly at the woman.

"Yeah. Parsix doesn't serve Mara... He serves me. I guess... Welcome to the House of Wolves."

"This... Is a lot to take in." Amanda spoke after a pregnant pause. Natsu nodded while Mara stood by with a small smirk.

"Didn't you always dream of being a princess or a queen?" Mara teased the blonde. Amanda rolled her eyes before looking to the blue skinned woman.

"I'm already a queen because of his father. This just makes me..."

"Double queen?" Natsu spoke up. Amanda turned to him and shrugged.

"I guess that works." She turned over to Mara. "Ha. Now I'm twice as much of a queen as you!"

"You forget." Mara chided the blonde. "I'm the Queen of the Awoken, and the Kell for the House of Judgement. That makes me a 'double queen' as well." She finished with a smirk. Amanda deflated at the woman's statement.

"At least I got this!" Amanda dragged Natsu down before planting her lips to his. Mara frowned for a moment before walking up and grabbing Natsu's other hand in to her own.

"Don't forget what the dragon said, he approves of both of us!" Amanda stuck her tongue out at the Awoken woman.

"We haven't decided if you are or aren't a part of this yet!" Amanda smirked at the woman, but quickly let it fall away when she saw the anxiety in the woman's eyes. "Hey, I'm just joking."

"I know." Mara spoke lowly before turning to Natsu. "But I would like to know if I am officially a part of this or not."

The three people stopped in the hallway as Natsu stared at Amanda. He could see the fear in her eyes as they searched his. He took a deep breath before squeezing Mara's hand in his own. "I enjoy your company a lot. You're smart and know how to run a kingdom. I don't know you as well as I'd like to, but I suppose that's what we have time for, right?" He smiled when he saw Mara's glowing eyes seeming to grow brighter before nodding and drawing her in for a hug. "I'd very much like to see what the future holds for us." He tugged Amanda towards him as well. "All of us."

Mara turned a curious eye to Amanda. "And you're okay with this?"

"Well." Amanda paused for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. "I wouldn't say that I'm a hundred percent okay with it, but it's something that's going to happen anyway. Plus, I've seen how you look at him too. I feel like I can trust you to not fuck everything up. Right?"

"Right." Mara nodded, a small smile plastered on her face before planting a kiss on Natsu's cheek. "You know Uldren is probably going to try to kill you, right?"

"I'd love to see him try." Natsu scoffed before turning letting both of the women go and stepping before the Pilot Servitor. "Set a course for the Cosmodrome. Remain under stealth, and give no indication to the Devils that we are near."

"And if they spot us?" Parsix spoke from the wall he was leaning against as the Servitor began to hum and the ship began to move.

"Kill them. We can't risk a war with any of the other houses right now, and we're only passing through." Natsu spoke calmly as the Ketch began to drift lazily towards Earth.

"You have a plan?" Mara spoke as she stood to Natsu's left while Amanda stood to his right. Natsu nodded before grabbing one of the Splicers and speaking.

"How are the stealth matrixes coming along?"

"All units repaired, but only 100 are ready for use with the new upgrades, my Kell." The Splicer growled back.

Amanda could only stare in awe as her boyfriend growled and clicked at the strange Vandal, and feel even more awed when the Vandal responded. "He learned their language." Amanda turned when she heard Mara speak. "That's something that I haven't even begun to do, and yet he can flawlessly communicate with them. I have to ask how he did that." They both snapped over to Natsu when he clapped the Vandal on the shoulder.

"Perfect. Get 100 volunteers who are willing to scavenge the Cosmodrome for a specific computer, all while under stealth."

"Right away, my Kell!" The Vandal seemed uncomfortable, but walked over to the intercom and began to speak the order in to it. Several minutes later, and Natsu, Mara, and Amanda stood in front of a large assortment of Vandals, Parsix at the front, and Captains in the loading bay. They all stood in formation in silence while they waited for Natsu's orders.

"Listen up!" Natsu's voice carried over the bay. Amanda shivered when all of the glowing white eyes focused sharply on Natsu. "We are going to be moving in Devils' territory. You will all be outfitted with a stealth matrix. We aren't going to war with them, as of right now we don't match their forces. They have the advantage in every way, but the new stealth matrix should keep you invisible. Move silently, and make sure you don't leave any trace of yourself. That means no witnesses."

"What will we be doing, my Kell?" Parsix's voice rang out, accompanied by many grunts and growls with similar questions.

"You are looking for a computer program. A very special one. You're going to find it, and then contact me when you do. Under no circumstance should you attempt to access or activate the program once you find it. It is incredibly dangerous, and activating it could trigger the automated defenses across the Cosmodrome."

"How will we find it?" A Captain grunted out. Natsu turned to the Captain and held up a tablet in his hand.

"You should all have recieved one of these when you grabbed your stealth matrix." He saw all of the Vandals and Captains pull out the tablets, their screens illuminating the Eliksni faces in a dull blue light upon activation. "These are linked to my tablet here, which has been updated with the last known frequency of the program we're looking for."

"What kind of program is it that's so dangerous?" Parsix asked.

"A Warmind." Natsu spoke.

The uproar was immediate.

"I don't understand." Mara spoke to Amanda quietly while they both watched Natsu quell the uproar. "Why are they so angered to find a Warmind?"

"The Fallen failed to invade the Earth when the collapse first happened." Amanda spoke quietly as she recalled the information from the history logs that she was required to study for the Vanguard initiation exams. "They were held off with a 92% success rate by the coalition of Warminds. It isn't known how many there were at the beginning, but it is very well known that the Fallen were repelled for several decades. They made it as far as the Moon, and that was shakey at best due to the Hive invading as well shortly after. It took the Fallen decades to wittle the Warminds down to one, but they could never overpower Rasputin."

"What changed?" Mara asked in interest. She had never studied the history of Earth, there was no time or need to in the Reef.

"Humans." Amanda spoke lowly. "We sought to control the weapons that Rasputin had stored away for our own safety. Weapons that could reshape a continent, and we wanted them. Rasputin was charged with ensuring the continuation of humanity, but somewhere along the line became somewhat corrupted in his goal and figured the best way to protect humans was to remove their ability to fight."

"Rasputin killed humans?" Mara asked in shock. Mara shook her head.

"No. Not at first anyway. He simply began to lock away our access to weapon stores, but humans are resourceful. We made our own weapons, and the Traveler aided us with the first generation of guardians."

"First generation?"

"The Iron Lords." Amanda spoke solemly as she stared at the ground in front of her. "I can only go off of what Cayde told me about them, but they were incredibly powerful, immortal, and some of the most dangerous minds to have ever existed."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The Traveler still had an immense amount of power at this time, and didn't need the Ghosts to revive people. It was able to do it on it's own, and it did so easily. Ever wonder why the Iron Lords have the names of famous generals and warriors throughout history?"

"Never crossed my mind. Everyone in the Reef knows of the Iron lords, but nobody has ever seen one. At least anyone who has has remained very quiet about it. I always assumed it was to sound scary."

"No. They aren't named after those warlords and conquerors. They ARE those people. The Traveler revived the brightest warriors from history, and they became the Iron Lords, at least that's what Cayde said."

"Wow..." Mara was stunned. To find out that the most dangerous warriors the Traveler revived were also the most dangerous humans to ever grace history was surprising. It brought up another question though. "How come some of them were Exos, at least from our reports?"

"Likely a decision on their part. Clovis Bray hadn't fallen apart yet, and Mars was still under Earth control. Some of the Iron Lords may not have been happy with their current forms and sought change." Amanda spoke. "But back to the topic. The Iron Lords caught wind of what Rasputin was hiding, and they wanted it. The Vanguard records have been altered, so we don't know what they were fighting for, but we do know that Rasputin wiped out the Iron Lords. There are a few survivors, but they're scattered across the system. The Iron Lords managed to isolate Rasputin in their final battle. This was a double edged swords though. Rasputin was no longer locking the weapons, but the defenses were no longer active. Fallen invaded with decades of anger, and humanity nearly went extinct. The Fallen that invaded Earth know what the Warminds are, and it seems they're still bitter about them."

"Why though?" Mara asked. Amanda shook her head, but it was Specter who answered.

"The Warminds are responsible for the extinction of nearly thirty Eliksni houses. Rasputin alone wiped out ten houses before the Iron Lords sealed him away. They're still pretty angry."

"I can tell." Mara said while watching Natsu finally finish quelling the calamity.

"Enough!" He bellowed in Eliksni, fire erupting from his figure as he stared at the now silent gathering. "We are NOT freeing Rasputin. We are leaving him trapped in his confinement, but we are taking something from him. We're stealing information on weapons and equipment. These designs are crucial to our future as a house. Understood?!" He recieved several grunts of acknowledgement, causing him to grunt in anger and repeat himself. "I said UNDERSTOOD?!"

The chorus of affirmation shook the bay.

"I understand how you all feel about the Warminds. I've read your history, and Parsix has told me more than enough. We aren't allies with Rasputin in any sense, and we are going to be stealing these designs from him. That is why myself and Specter are going to handle the information gathering. We can NOT afford any risk of letting the Warmind loose. That Warmind has it's own agenda, and I don't want any of you doing anything to aid it. When you find it, call me immediately. Got it?"

Another call of affirmation rang out.

"Good. Get to your Skiffs. Remember to run silently, and make sure there are no witnesses."

"Why are we searching the Cosmodrome?" Parsix asked.

"The Cosmodrome is where the last battle was between the Iron Lords and Rasputin. They sealed him away somewhere in that graveyard, and now you are going to find it. Now, move out!"

* * *

Natsu leaned against the rail as the last Skiff departed from the ship when they arrived over the Cosmodrome. He watched the troop locations on his tablet while they spread out. He could tell when they would engage an enemy when their beacons would still for several moments before moving on. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder, and turned to see Amanda staring at him.

"What's on your mind?" She asked him gently. He reached up and grabbed her hand before squeezing gently.

"A lot. This is one of the most crucial moments of the plan. I'm just hoping we can be done here quickly. I'd like to spend the next few weeks getting ready for the assault."

"Assault?" Amanda raised a brow at him. He nodded slowly before pressing his lips in to a grim line.

"Mars. In just over three weeks time, Mara and myself will be leading an attack on a Vex conflux in hopes of finding a Gate Lord. Once we capture that, I can find us the location of the Black Garden, and once we invade that, I can find out how to get home."

"Sounds dangerous..." Amanda spoke lowly. Natsu nodded once more.

"If we fail, that's it. There will be no bodies to be found if we lose, and even worse the Vex will end everyone in this system. It's one of the reasons I want to find Rasputin so badly. Apparently, just before the Collapse hit Venus, they had developed a way to detect and isolate the Vex. This, along with the weapon designs I've read about, should help to defend the Vanguard. I want to give the Vanguard this technology before I leave."

Mara remained silent while Amanda and Natsu shareed a moment. She was up to date on the plans, but the small tinge of jealousy she felt at their intimacy didn't stop her from wanting to be comforted as well. She was nervous, and for good reason. She was putting her kingdom at risk to follow the plans of a man she had only known for a number of days, and didn't have too much to go off of. Was it so wrong of her to recieve comfort from the man she was now intimate with? Was she a bad person for seeking his warm embrace when she felt the cold reality begin to close in on her? She shook her head, doing her best to cast away her jealous thoughts, and strode up to stand next to her new boyfriend and girlfriend. She let a smile of amusement grace her features when she thought about how Uldren would react to the news of her new relationship. She grabbed Natsu's free hand on the rail and gave him a smile when he turned his gaze to her. She felt warmth spread throughout her chest when realization struck her. She was always going to be jealous if she stood behind everyone and followed behind him. There was only one way for her to truly feel happy with this new relationship.

And it was to stand beside him through it all.

She leaned her head in and placed a gentle kiss on Natsu's lips, pleased when he met her with an equal amount of passion. They both broke away and stared in to eachother's eyes, easily becoming lost. The were broken out of their wanderings when Natsu's tablet began to chirp loudly. He quickly snapped his vision to it and typed in several commands, only to hear the gravelly voice of Parsix over the speaker.

"My Kell. We have found it."

"Excellent Parsix, sit tight and I'll be at your location soon!" He put the tablet away with a grin before turning to the two women. He placed a kiss on each of their lips before leaping over the rail and to his shuttle. "I gotta go take care of this real quick! I'll be right back!" The shuttle canopy hissed shut as the vessel lifted from the bay and launched out of the open bay. Amanda turned to Mara and grinned.

"He's really something, ain't he?"

"Yeah." Mara sighed wistfully as she stared at where the shuttle had just been. Amanda stared at where the ship was as well before chuckling.

"You know, if you want some private time with him you just have to ask, right?" Mara gazed at Amanda in surprise.

"Really?"

"Of course. You heard him, we're in this together. I'm pretty sure I can trust you to be alone with him, given that he's already given you the initiation exam and all that."

"Initiation?"

"You're still limping." Amanda spoke with a sly smirk. Mara blushed before turning to the mechanic.

"You know my threat still stands. I will hold you down and use my tongue to see if there's anything from your boyfriend left in you."

"Careful." Amanda warned with a devious grin. "Or I may just hold you to that."

Both women shared a laugh as they waited for their man to return.

* * *

Natsu stared at the old computer in front of him as Specter scanned the device. "Anything?"

"Everything." The Ghost spoke in wonder. "There's so much here. Everything from basic tools and manufacturing, to medicine and weapons. He has everything we'd need to restart the Golden Age..."

Natsu couldn't help but grin. "Excellent. How much of it can you safely take without letting Rasputin loose?"

"It seems as if Rasputin isn't trying to stop me. He's just letting me take all of this information."

"Hold on." Natsu spoke cautiously as he walked up to the computer. Every single alarm in his head was firing off. "Can you ask him why he's giving it to us?"

"Yes." The Ghost began to whir and chirp for nearly a minute before speaking again. "He says 'To those that seek these technologies, use them wisely. Protect humanity in the way that I could not.' And it just seems to repeat over and over again."

"Begin file transfer. Take absolutely everything that isn't attatched to Rasputin." Natsu spoke as he rested a hand on the console. His brain was alight with so many different questions. Why was Rasputin suddenly so forthcoming with all of this information? Saxon had stated what the battle against Rasputin and SIVA did to the Iron Lords, but now he was just giving it away. Why? Natsu shook the questions from his head and focused on the Ghost that was downloading the future of humanity.

"It's done." Specter said after a few minutes. Natsu nodded and recalled the Ghost to him before they left. As they approached the exit to the room, Natsu turned back to gaze once more at Earth's most powerful defender. The computer lie under dust and decay, in a room in some unnamed building, in a corner of the Cosmodrome that nobody went to. In a way, Natsu felt pity for the Warmind. It would spend the rest of it's existence here, unless someone freed him, but what then? There was no more use for the Warmind now that all of the data he stored was going in to Vanguard hands. Natsu shook his head as he exited the room where the computer would lie.

* * *

Upon Natsu's return, and all of the information being tranferred and categorized, the Speaker had a chance to sort through some of the information give, and nearly had a heart attack when he saw the vast amount of information. Specter hadn't been lying when he had stated that it was enough to restart to Golden Age. He thanked the guardian profusely as the warlocks seemed to explode in to a frenzy at all of the new technology presented before them. The Speaker gave Natsu and Amanda several days vacation while the data was handled and the guardians were gathered. Natsu made sure that him, Amanda, and Mara spent a lot of time together. In that time, Natsu made sure to learn as much as he could about Mara, and gladly watched her and Amanda grow even closer. Finally though, the Speaker had announced a gathering across all Towers. Every guardian, mechanic, and representative had shown up. Natsu had never seen the Tower so packed. There were guardians standing on rails and on top of the special requisitions building.

There was barely standing room.

"This is a magnificent discovery!" The Speaker declared loudly in front of the gathering. "The Vanguard has come across an amazing cache of Golden Age technology. With everything discovered, within a year we will be well on our way to a new Golden Age." Cheers erupted from the gathered forces. The Speaker held up his hands and silence resumed. "I know that many of you are tired. Wariness sets heavy on all of us, but to you I say to raise your heads. In the coming weeks, Vanguard issued weapons will be replaced with Golden Age variants. The SUROS Regime and Invective will be common issues for all guardians. Guns will now feature Golden Age mags, so ammunition in the field will be a worry of the past. The possibilites we have discovered are endless, but I want to assure all of you that we now have the tools to not only hold the Darkness, but to drive it from our system entirely. It will be a long fight, will you all fight with me?!" The cheers that erupted from Tower Six were heard all the way in the Last City as the celebrations went long in to the night.

Natsu leaned against the rail, Amanda and Mara on either side of him. All three of them stared at the Traveler as the sun set, each holding a beer in their hands. He stared at the Traveler as the thoughts of what was to come entered his mind.

"You nervous?" He heard Amanda ask from his right. He turned to look at her and gave her a small smile before nodding.

"A bit. It's all led up to this point. I just don't want to mess it up."

"You'll do fine." Mara chirped from his left. He turned and faced her with the same smile he gave Amanda before taking another swig of his beer. Amanda did the same and let out a small belch, chuckling sheepishly afterwards.

"Sorry." She set the now empty bottle down and leaned against her boyfriend. She took a small moment to savour his warmth while the three of them sat in comfortable silence. "I know you'll do it." She said after a minute. "I know you'll do this because you've done everything else that was impossible. You're going to do this because literally nobody else can. Besides," She turned a smirk towards Mara. "You've got good company watching your back. And an army. That's gotta count for something."

"Here here!" Mara raised her glass before finishing the drink and setting the empty bottle next to Amanda. "You know, I've spent very little time on Earth before meeting you two. I never got to enjoy these moments. I have to admit that I'm growing quite fond of watching the sun set, and not having to wear an environmental suit to keep me from dying in the vacuum of space. The breeze is pretty nice." The woman joked calmly. Natsu chuckled before downing his drink as well.

"Yeah. This is still nothing compared to Earthland though."

"You haven't told me much about your home. What is it like?"

"Beautiful." Natsu said with a smile on his face, eyes now lost in the past of his home. "I lived in a town called Magnolia. It was large for me, but it's nothing compared to the Last City. The weather was always pretty calm, and it was usually sunny. I had this little cottage just outside the city. Me and my cat lived there. His name is Happy. He's lazy, but always talks about fish. He begs and pleads until he gets some, and it seems that he's a bottomless pit when it comes to them. We always used to go and fish in the rivers and ponds behind the house. Sometimes we'd stay out for days in the forest, just camping and fishing and enjoying the peace."

"It sounds amazing." Mara said with a smile on her face. She didn't get to see Natsu this at ease too often. The preperations for the assault had taken most of the last month of their time together, and the assault was to begin late tomorrow.

"Yeah. I think that's what I miss the most."

"Fishing or camping?" Amanda asked with a chuckle. Natsu just paused for a moment before responding.

"Peace. I miss the peace the most. This place hasn't seen peace in so long that I worry how everyone here will handle it."

"I think they'll do fine." Amanda grabbed on to his hand and lightly squeezed it. "You've given us the tools for a birghter future, now you just need to trust us to handle it from here."

"Yeah." Natsu shrugged. "I guess so." Both turned their attention to the oddly silent Mara, only to frown at the conflicted look on her face. Natsu nudged his shoulder against hers. "Something wrong?"

"I'm... just thinking." Mara stated after a moment. Natsu wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to his chest. He felt her shoulders relax as she basked in his warmth. He loved how the woman seemed to cling to him for his constant warmth whenever they were alone. Both women attributed him to being a space heater that can cuddle. He placed a gentle kiss on the woman's head before speaking.

"You know you can talk to us with whatever is troubling you, right?"

"I know. I think..." She paused and took a deep breath. "I think that I'd like to go with you two to your home." She turned a nervous eye to Natsu, who only blinked at her for a moment before smiling.

"Is that all?"

"What do you mean?" Mara asked in slight irritation. "You know the prophecy that was given. The guardians of the future-"

"Will have tools at their disposal that they never could have predicted." Natsu interrupted. "Did you honestly think that I'd leave you here alone while I went back home? Nah," He grinned at her. "It's been my plan this whole time to drag you with me, kicking and screaming if need be."

"That isn't very responsible, Natsu!" Mara growled at the man. "What about my people? They need a leader!"

"Uldren handles most of the work load anyway. Turn it over to him and that one eyed chick. What was her name again? Peter?"

"Petra." Mara deadpanned at him. "But even then, what will happen when the guardians come to the Reef looking to speak with me?"

"They speak to Uldren. Just order him to begin mending ties with the guardians, and have Petra keep an eye on him."

"She does seem to have a sweet spot for him..." Mara spoke quietly to herself. She wouldn't deny that her brother and Petra seemed to keep company with each other when the war with Skolas was still going. She rather enjoyed teasing Uldren about it, and Petra turned in to a teenage girl whenever Mara teased her about it. She was shaken out of her thoughts when Natsu let out a hearty laugh.

"It's perfect then! The Reef sets new relations with the Vanguard, not to mention the tech that you would get exchanged, and Uldren may have that stick pulled out of his ass a few feet."

"But what if I want to come back? Or what if my people want to come with me?"

Natsu tapped his chin in thought. "Well, seeing as if we build the gate and successfully travel to my home, why couldn't we build another one there to come back? I'm sure with the knowledge we get, and the Golden Age tools we have, that we can always come back. I'm sure the resources will be insane to collect to build a gate, but there's no reason we can't come back to visit."

"But there's just so much to get done and-" Mara was silenced with a kiss from her boyfriend.

"Relax. The gate will take time to build, and that gives you time to think. Let's focus on just getting the knowledge to build the gate first. We'll worry about all of that later, okay?"

"Okay." Mara gave him a small smile.

"Besides," Natsu stared once more at the Traveler as the last of the sunlight left it. "I'd never leave one of the women I love alone while I went home."

Mara was stunned speechless when Natsu turned and grinned at her. "You mean it?" She spoke timidly. Natsu nodded and was about to speak when he was engulfed by the blue skinned woman in a hug. He would've chuckled, had the woman not been crushing him with her strength. He felt his bones groaning in protest, and could only give her a few small pats hoping she would accept the singal and let him go.

She didn't.

"Guardian down!" Specter's voice echoed across the three people.

"Great job. He tells you he loves you and you crush him to death." Amanda spoke as Mara quickly released Natsu and waited for the guardian to be revived. She had a furious blush on her face while she stood up straight and faced the blonde.

"Shut up! Nobody's ever told me that before..." Mara pouted while staring at her boyfriend's body while he vanished in to particles of light and dropped on to the ground next to the women. He held a hand up to his chest as he took several gulps of air. He turned his startled gaze back to Mara, who could only pout at the ground and refuse to make eye contact with him. Natsu just chuckled and placed a kiss on top of her head, enjoying when she got flustered and turned away from him.

"It's okay." Amanda turned to Mara and chuckled. "When he told me he loved me the first time, I cried like a baby and covered him in snot."

"I mean you would've hugged me to death if you could've." Natsu chuckled when Amanda huffed at him and turned away. He turned to Mara, who was staring at him from the corner of her eye. "I forgot how strong you are. It makes me happy to know that someone as strong as you is always going to stand with me." Mara beamed at him while Amanda snorted. Natsu turned to her. "And I know that I'll never have an issue with a woman as smart as you looking after my gear." Amanda blushed and smirked at him while rubbing her thumb under her nose.

"Well I am pretty great. I guess you should count yourself lucky, but I don't work for free!" Amanda grinned at him.

"Oh?" He replied back slyly. "And what do I need to do to pay off such a beautiful woman such as yourself? No amount of money can cover how much I feel I owe you..." He finished while sliding over to Amanda and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. She blushed heavily and squeaked when he twirled her in to his grip and dipped low with her before planting a small kiss on her lips. He let her stand back up, the blonde quickly scurrying away to stand by Mara. The blue skinned woman huffed and stared at the guardian.

"My services aren't free either!" The Awoken woman felt a smile threatening to cross her features when her boyfriend grabbed her hand and kissed up her arm before planting a huge kiss on her cheek.

"I beg your forgiveness, my Queen. Is there any way that I can gain your favour once more?" The faux desperation in his tone made her roll eyes. She snatched her hand from his grasp and pretended to examine her nails while Amanda wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"C'mon Mara." The blonde teased playfully. "I'm sure there's SOMETHING we could make him do to pay us back for being oh so generous to him..." Amanda finished her sentence with a playful smirk, one that Mara was happy to match.

"I suppose so..." She turned to Natsu, who quickly made an overexaggerated bow to the two women, and regarded him with a cool voice. "I suppose if he can follow our orders in a more... private setting, then maybe he can work his way towards paying his debt to us. What do you think, Queen Amanda?"

"Hmm..." The blonde adopted a haughty voice and pose. "I'm not sure if he can handle it... I don't know about you, but I'm rather hard to please. I suppose that only a man of the finest standards could hope to appease my... needs. For a man to pay me off..." Amanda strode forward and rubbed her hand against Natsu's chest before allowing it to venture a bit lower. "He'd have to have a large... hard... Debt."

"I agree." Mara spoke as she walked over and stood on the other side of Natsu as she began to rub herself against his back, enjoying the way his breathing became heavier. "But I believe that this man has quite a large debt. One that's more than enough to pay us both over and over again."

"I don't think it will be a quick payment." Amanda mused as she continued to rub her boyfriend over his pants. "It may take the rest of his life to pay us back. Well, Natsu? Do you think you can handle that?"

His response was to throw the blonde over his shoulder and hastily walk back to their room, a giggling Mara in tow.

* * *

Natsu watched the red sand of Mars swirling violently around the gathered forces while they prepared for the assault. Uldren and the Crows had done well to establish a proper deployment point. It was properly stocked with ammo, rations, and more than enough supplies to repair any armour or equipment that needed it. Natsu's Splicers began to run back and forth, chattering quietly with the Eliksni Crows and establishing their positions in the baase. Servitors and Shanks hovered towards the exits of the room as the army began to gather just outside the large building. Several Skiffs continued to take off and land as they ferried troops and supplies to the ground. Natsu stared at the gathered force in a bit of awe as the Awoken and Eliksni stood together. He was snapped out of his awe when Uldren Sov roughly pushed by him, causing the man to stumble.

"Hey!"

"Can it." The Awoken man said angrily. "Let's just get this done so that I can go home and you can leave my sister alone."

Natsu wanted to rebuke that he wouldn't be letting Mara away from him for the foreseeable future, but decided to keep quiet. The Awoken man eyed the two suspiciously when they arived, but quickly moved on when Mara bgan to demand reports and issue orders. Uldren quickly fell to her heel and began to brief the woman, and Natsu, on what had happened over the last month. It seems as if they had found the area where the Gate Lord would appear, and only needed the proper bait to draw him out. That's when Uldren pointed out that the cannon fodder, also known as Natsu, would draw the Vex out and aid them in bringing the behemoth down. Natsu rolled his eyes when Mara looked at him apologetically before leaving the room.

"Got issue with me, Sov?" Natsu grunted out when man wouldn't stop glaring at him while he issued his orders to the Wolves.

"I don't like you." The Awoken man spoke simply. "I don't like how you've spent the last month alone with my sister, and how she seems to have changed. I don't know what you did to her, but I will not let you hurt her. Once this mission is done, I want you to take your house and leave the Reef, and my sister alone."

"That will absolutely NOT be happening!" Both men turned to see the furious gaze of Mara Sov. She strode up to Uldren slowly, void energy scorching the ground with each of her footsteps as her glowing blue eyes turned a royal purple. Uldren took a step back as the woman stood up to him and grabbed him by the collar. "I am tired of seeing you trying to drive away my friend when I'm not around. You do not get to run my life!"

"But sister-"

"Enough!" Mara's power flared, washing both men with a purple haze for a moment before she took a deep breath and looked at her brother. "I finally found someone I love who understands and loves me. Why can't you just be happy for me?"

Uldren was stunned. "L-love?"

"Yes Uldren." Mara spoke simply as she let herself calm down a bit. She reached out behind her, feeling some comfort when Natsu's hand found her own and squeezed it reassuringly. "I love him. I have given myself to him time and time again, and he has proven his love to me as well. I wanted to tell you when all of this was over, but you've proven to me that you can't even follow a simple request from your sister. I can't even begin to explain my disappointment to you." She finished lowly before storming away from the two men. Uldren stared after her, his eyes burning with shame before turning to Natsu.

"You love my sister?"

"Yes."

"And you promise to stand by her when she's weak?"

"I promise to stand by her always." Natsu's eyes met Uldren's though he couldn't tell from Natsu's helmet being equipped. Uldren sighed.

"She's all I have left in this universe." Uldren spoke sadly. "I watched her grow from a timid little girl in to the powerful woman you see now. I can't help that every time I see her, I see my sister, the one who was afraid of her own shadow. All I've ever wanted was to protect her, but it seems as if she needs something that I couldn't possibly give her. Will you keep and eye on her? Make sure she's healthy and strong and happy?"

"Of course." Natsu spoke confidently. Uldren nodded before holding out his hand.

"Than I suppose that's all I can ask. My sister loves you, and there's nothing I can do about that. I'll respect her decision, and may even come to respect you." He smirked as Natsu grasped his hand and shook it firmly. He couldn't see the guardian's smirk.

"Thanks. And maybe you'll gather the balls to go and confess your attraction to Petra, but I suppose baby steps are important too." He grinned slyly when Uldren gaped at him before shoving by the man and after his sister.

"I don't have any clue what you're talking about, foolish guardian."

Natsu grinned after the man. He turned to leave the room after Mara, but it seems as if she had come back in to the room. She strode over to the guardian and planted a gentle kiss against the visor of his helmet. "Thank you." She whispered gently. Natsu nodded quietly while Mara left quickly after Uldren. Natsu peeked to the time display on his visor and cursed.

The assault would begin in the next fifteen minutes.

Natsu gathered his wits together and strode towards the Eliksni leaning against the doorway lazily. Parsix scoffed when Natsu walked up to him.

"You have lipstick on your helmet, my Kell." He chuckled when Natsu grabbed a nearby rag and wiped his helmet clean.

"Did I get it?"

"Yes."

"Good. You ready?" He asked the Vandal seriously. Parsix took a deep breath before nodding.

"I'm more ready now than I was an hour ago. In another hour, I will be more ready than I am now. Time will pass around me, and I must accept everything as it is."

Natsu chuckled remembering many of the old guardians in the bars, grizzled men that saw decades of combat, and their saying.

"It is what it is."

Parsix nodded and pushed himself off the wall and followed Natsu as they walked towards the deployment point. Quickly remembering something, he jumped in front of his Kell and held up his hand. "Before we deploy, I have something that the Splicers wanted to give you." Natsu stopped and quirked his head.

"What is it?"

"Follow me." The Vandal spoke eagerly before jogging down the hallway. Natsu followed after the Eliksni, taking several turns before they ended up at a supply room. Natsu saw the Wolves' banner hanging on the wall, as well as the many rows of shrapnel cannons and wire rifles. Parsix strode by them as he approached a large case at the end of the room. It lie on top of a table, as long as Natsu was tall, and didn't denote anything on what it was. Natsu quirked an eyebrow when the Eliksni motioned to the case. "It is for you. The Splicers say that a Kell must have a weapon that denotes their rule. It is the symbol of your authority, as well as your presence on any battlefield. Use it how you see fit..."

Natsu clicked the latches on the case open, and nearly lost his breath at the weapon inside. He reached in and tentatively wrapped his hands around the weapon before drawing it out and standing at attention with it. It stood just a little bit shorter than him, the metal made from Minotaurs that had no doubt been collected from confrontations. The blade on it was sharp enough to slice through Natsu's glove when he ran a hand over it, eliciting a grunt of pain from the man as the razor sharp blade cut him. He held it in front of him, testing the weight, and nodded happily when it was perfectly balanced. Natsu heard a small gasp behind him, and turned to see Mara staring at him, mouth slightly agape, as she took in the sight of the guardian with the bearded axe.

"It seems as if you're a true Kell now." She spoke proudly while standing next to Parsix. Natsu nodded and strapped the axe to his back, before turning to the other two.

"Seems so." Natsu looked over to Parsix. "What now?"

"Now? Now we kill. You get what we are here for. Then we prepare for the promise land."

Natsu chuckled before nodding and walking down the hallyway, the Eliksni and Awoken trailing behind him as they walked to the deployment point. They approached the room, the door hissing open as they approached, and Natsu strode through without breaking his stride. He looked in to the room and stared at the massive force that had gathered. He stood to the front of the room, closest to the exit to the battlefield, and faced the army. Mara and Parsix stood by him, while Uldren stood behind his sister.

"I know that today is something that many thought wouldn't happen. Never in the dreams of any Wolf, did they see themselves working with House Judgement, let alone their Queen. Yet we now stand here, shoulder to shoulder, facing an enemy that is a threat to all of us. Wolves!" All of the Eliksni in the House of Wolves stood tall when they were called. "I have promised you paradise. The promise land lies just after this next battle. First, we take a Gate Lord!" There were cheers as Natsu held the axe above his head. "Then we storm their precious Black Garden. We will enter their little safe zone and show them why they should have left all of us alone!" Natsu and Mara both smiled at watching both Eliksni and Awoken cheering at the man's words. The gate behind them dropped open, and Natsu and Mara led the charge in to combat.

* * *

The center of the conflux was massive to Mara. Pillars of seemingly mechanical stone rose miles in to the sky, each shifting and rotating constantly and at strange angles. The fighting to reach this point had been mild, and from what the last reports had stated, the losses were restricted to only Shanks and Servitors.

Mara was glad for that.

Her people trusted her, there was never a doubt in that, but Mara always felt as if she would betray that trust if she sent them to their deaths. Uldren and Petra both stated that it is what made a good leader when Mara had presented her concerns to them. She shook herself out of her thoughts as she watched Natsu step towards the gigantic gate that had just stopped pouring enemies from it. The light was still pouring from it, signifying that the portal was still active, but no enemies had come forth from it for nearly an hour. Natsu holstered the Thorn to his hip and stepped towards the portal. Everyone watched with baited breath as a pillar as tall as the man rose from the center of the plate that stood before the portal. Natsu held his hand out against the stone, and everyone felt a small amount of shock when his hand made contact and all of the stone pillars began to pulse with energy. Mara covered her ears when the pulsing began to grow in volume, each pulse sounding like shattering glass. She nearly sank to her knees when the pulsing suddenly stopped and Natsu quickly leapt away to stand next to the woman. She snapped to full alert when Natsu spoke once more.

"It's here."

The Gate Lord emerging is one experience that Mara would never forget. Emerging with a mechanical roar, the machine was several stories tall. The gunfire from all around her opened up on the machine immediately, though none of it seemed to even dent the machine as it raised it's cannon up. Balls of void energy the size of people erupted from the cannon and flew slowly towards the soldiers posted all around. Mara felt the rounds impact the ground as she watched both her's and Natsu's soldiers disappear in a flash of purple, all that remained was a smoking crater. The behemoth continued to fire at the posted troops, each dodging or escaping with varying levels of success as they continued to engage the machine. Mara raised up her auto rifle and began to pepper the machine's stomach. She felt some measure of success when the plate broke away to reveal it's core. Her small victory was short lived when the machine turned it's focus on her. Raising one of it's massive arms, it swept towards her to grab her, only for Uldren to get swept up in it's grasp when he shoved her out of the way. The machine rose Uldren before it's gaze before slowly tightening it's grip, causing the Awoken man to scream out in pain. Mara turned a panicked gaze towards Natsu.

"Save him!"

Natsu bellowed before drawing the axe from his back and sprinting towards the machine. He raised the axe above his head as he activated his jump pack, launching himself at the machine. He brought his axe down with a roar on to the Gate Lord's shoulder, feeling the metal cleave in two as the arm separated from the rest of it's body and falling to the ground uselessly. The machine turned it's focus to Natsu, who began to lead it away from it's arm as it stomped towards the guardian. Mara quickly ran up to the arm and pried the hands open, sighing in relief when he began to cough and wheeze. She grabbed his arm and slung it over her shoulder as she dragged the man away from combat. She passed the man off to several Awoken with strict orders to return to the base and treat his injuries. The two Awoken nodded before quickly dragging the man from the field of battle while Mara turned her furious gaze to the Gate Lord. Her eyes began to glow in a deep purple as void energy erupted from her body. The machine turned it's gaze to her after kicking Natsu away from it, noticing the spike of energy. It raised it's cannon to fire at her, but found itself unable to when Natsu launched himself once more at the Gate Lord and brought his axe down on the machine's arm, severing it at the elbow and causing it's cannon to fall to the ground. The machine turned once more and kicked Natsu across the area and towards Mara, the man barely managing to right himself in mid air before landing roughly next to the woman. He stood up and faced the approaching Gate Lord as he heard Mara speak.

"End this!"

Natsu watched purple energy surround the machine as it all slowed the machine to an eventual stop. Natsu turned his stunned gaze to Mara, who had both of her hands out in front of her with a strained gaze on her face. Natsu noticed a trail of purple blood dripping from her nose as the machine fought her control for it's movement. Her eyes darted to his for a moment, snapping him from his stupor as he brought his axe back and shot forward towards the machine once more. The machine let loose a wail as it broke free from Mara's control and swung it's leg towards Natsu, only to fall to the ground as the guardian severed it's other leg above the knee. Mara collapsed to her knees as Natsu jumped backwards to land next to the woman.

"Are you okay?" He asked, keeping an eye on the Gate Lord as it writhed on the ground. Mara nodded and stood back up.

"Yeah. That just took a lot out of me." She watched the machine flail it's only leg around, the sounds of screeching metal and mechanical wails ringing out as the machine attempted to fight it's fate. Mara turned to Natsu after catching her breath for a moment. "What now?" Natsu shouldered his axe and walked over to the machine. He stared at it for a moment before jumping on to it's chest and burying the axe in to the machine's head. He pulled the blade off, bringing the head with it and exposing the wiring that came from the chest. Everyone watched Natsu hold his hand up as light began to emerge from it in wisps before he brought his hand down and in to the Gate Lord's chest. The machine wailed one last time before going limp, all of the machines lights dimming out before the core itself dulled out. Natsu stood up as the light began to pour off of his hand before he closed his fist, the wisps of light dying away under his grasp. He took a deep breath before facing the crowd.

"I know where we need to go. Get back to the ships!"

* * *

Natsu stared unimpressed at all of the deactivated Vex as Mara, Parsix, and himself strode through the Black Garden towards the center. The amount of resistance they had encountered had been nothing with Natsu having entered the Garden as a Gate Lord. It didn't stop them from being cautious, but so far it had been a relatively easy process. They now stood in front of the gate that supposedly held the Black Heart. Natsu held his hand out, tendrils of light coming from his hand and extending outto the gate's center. The tendrils all converged on one spot on the center of the gate, and after several moments, the gate began to open. Natsu walked through first and stared in awe at the object representing his first captor.

The Black Heart.

It sat in the center of a gate contruct. A mass of pure black material swirled and pulsated at seemingly random intervals. It would contract and swirl on itself and then violently expand out in random directions. On the platform in front of it, several dozen Vex were stuck in worship, arms out to their sides and heads facing the heart. Moss hung from the beings while three giant Minotaur statues stood guard over the gathering. Natsu turned when he heard the awed gasp and silent chatter from the woman and Eliksni. Mara was the first to speak.

"Is that it?" She whispered in awe. Natsu nodded and turned back to the Heart.

"Yes. This is what I saw when I first stole from the Darkness. This is the hub for Vex communications in this system. The Black Heart."

"I can feel the taint of it." Parsix growled out lowly. "Will we be destroying it?" Natsu shook his head, much to the shock of both of them.

"No. Someone else will be tasked with destroying this. We likely wouldn't be able to leave here if we killed it. Either the Vex conflux would seal itself off and trap us here for eternity, or the deactivated Vex would activate and overwhelm us." Natsu spoke honestly. His heart hurt to think that he was this close to the reason that he had suffered so much and could do nothing about it, but he swallowed his anger and began to slowly walk down the steps. A single tendril of darkness emerged from the heart, slowly slithering down towards the guardian like a tentacle. Natsu held his hand out and let the light emerge from him once more. The light crept towards the tendril of black before they both collided with a blinding flash.

And Natsu fell to the ground.

* * *

When Natsu stood back up, he noticed that he wasn't in the garden anymore. Giant crystals with veins of light pulsing through them surrounded him. He quickly recognized this as the place in his mind that he had first met the isolated mind. He was about to continue in when he noticed the shade standing silently near one of the pillars. The guardian walked over to the shade.

"I take it that we're where we need to be?" He asked the shade. The shadow merely nodded before turning and pointing towards the center.

"There. You will confront it there. Keep it distracted while I extract the information. Even now, I can feel it trying to drain every ounce of light from your body. The only reason you are still alive is because of me, but even I can not hold on forever. I will try and make this quick." The shade sounded almost desperate by the time it got it's last words out. Natsu nodded and sprinted towards the center, where the light was the brightest. He was once again blinded by the light that embraced him, shutting his eyes as the warmth overtook him. He was broken from the bliss when a freezing feeling washed through his body. When he opened his eyes once more to stare at the seeming opposite of his shade. Black surrounded him as far as the eye could see, the only visible light was in the shape of a human, much like his shade. One glowing eye in the center of it's face gazed coldly at the guardian as Natsu stepped to the being of light.

"We meet after all this time." The being said in a bored tone. Natsu took another step forward, now within arms reach of the figure.

"Yeah. I had to make sure that I was ready to go home before coming for you."

"Home? Is that what you call being absorbed in to the Collective Mind? Does this mean that the Darkness you stole overcame your body? No." The figure assured itself as it stared at Natsu. "No. If it had taken over, then it wouldn't be fighting me from devouring you. What could you mean?"

"The universe you stole me from. I WILL be going back, and you're going to tell me exactly how to do so."

"Why would I do that?" The figure taunted the man. Natsu grit his teeth at the attitude of the being. "I got your message on Venus, by the way. It is always somewhat humorous to see when an insect that can do nothing threatens me."

"It wasn't a threat!" Natsu snarled at the being. It merely waved a hand in dismissal. "It was a promise. I said I'd come here, and I'm here."

"Yes and when you leave this area, I will seal off this dimension and slowly pull you and the other two with you apart. I will do so with a great amount of joy. You stole information from me, something that has never been done, so I must assume you are a direct threat."

Natsu felt the shade from his mind starting to pull him back, and couldn't help but smirk. "You know what the worst part about all of this is?" He spoke as he started to back away from the being of light. The figure just stared at him silently, prompting Natsu to continue. "The worst part about all of this, is that I won't be the one to kill you, but hey, not like you'll remember me in about ten seconds anyway."

The shade roared with the voice of a trillion as tendrils of light erupted from it and shot towards Natsu, though none touched him before he suddenly vanished from the area. The figure let out a roar of fury as it felt information being taken from it. It continued to wail in rage for several more seconds before the angered cries died down to silence as the figure lost any memory of interacting with the guardian.

Natsu panted heavily as he stared at the shade, which seemed to be equally drained if it's kneeling posture was anything to go off of. Natsu held out a hand and hefted the shade to it's feet as they both began to stumble away.

"Did you get it?" Natsu asked tiredly. The shade nodded.

"Yes. I have everything you need to get home. I did you the favor of listing your universe as collapsed. It should prevent the Collective Mind from invading for several million years. I figure by then your species will have trancended to the fourth dimension or gone extinct."

"Gee." Natsu spoke sarcastically. "Thanks, I guess?"

"Do not worry. I believe that with your help, your species will be well on it's way." The shade spoke lowly as the two continue to walk away from the center.

* * *

When Natsu woke up, he was greeted to the sight of Mara's worried eyes upon him. She gasped and took to holding the man tightly against herself. "I was worried." She murmured lowly. Natsu pet her back as he stared around the room. The pulsating entity of Darkness was moving as if nothing had happened, and none of the Vex had budged. Parsix had his swords out and stood protectively at the guardian's feet. Natsu gently pried Mara off of him and stood up.

"I have what we need. Let's go."

The contruction for the warp gate had taken nearly three months to complete in secret.

In that time, Mara had gone about stepping away from the throne and turning it over to Uldren. She had to promise to return in three years to check in with everyone on her kingdom, and it took Mara promoting Petra to act as Uldrens royal counsel to get the man to not follow after her. It didn't stop him from giving her one of the Reef's Ketch as well as a full crew of nearly 500 volunteers to go with her, much to her dismay. Natsu chuckled when the woman showed up to the Tower, her Ketch hovering in front of the Traveler as shuttles began to move between the Towers in hopes of trade.

Natsu had other issues to deal with. Upon Zavala finding out about his involvement as the Kell of Wolves, and him being the direct reason that the Vanguard lost Mars, it took Cayde and Ikora to hold him back from throttling the guardian until the Speaker himself issued the order to stand down. Zavala called for the guardian to be punished, stating that his contribution to the Vanguard does not make him immune to it's laws. The Speaker was forced to relucantly agree, but settled for banishment rather than execution. The Speaker set the date of his banishment for one day before the gate's estimated completion date. Zavala reluctantly agreed to the punishment, but also ordered Natsu's name be stricken from the Vanguard records in order to prevent any other guardians from getting any smart ideas.

Natsu made sure the Splicers were always up to schedule when it came to construction, and the Reef was more than willing to part with many of it's derelect ships and vessels to be used in the contruction. The Splicers were elated to recieve a copy of all of the Golden Age technology that Natsu had turned over to the Speaker, and had already developed many tools to aide with the construction and maintenance.

Amanda put in her resignation with the Vanguard under the guise of humanitarian aide in the colonies outside of the Walls. Zavala didn't hide his annoyance at the obvious lie, pointing out how her resignation coincided with Natsu's banishment. Cayde was quick to annoy the Awoken man to the point of acceptance, much to Amanda's gratitude, though the Exo did make it a point to donate several of his ships to her and Natsu as a sort of farewell present. She made sure to place them on the Ketch that Natsu occupied while also making herself more useful to his goal by taking over the ship maintenance of all three Ketch and all of the Skiffs as well. It had taken her nearly a week to properly learn the Eliksni technology, but she found her skills put to excellent use when she finally got the hang of it.

All three tried their best to spend time with one another, but with so much to do and oversee, they all only got sparce moments together. It had all led up to this point however, and Natsu couldn't be happier.

It was time to go home.

He stared at the gateway from the bridge of his Ketch. It was wide enough to fit all three Ketch through it simultaneously, but light enough to be pulled in to the sun when the thrusters on it shut off. That was what Natsu had wanted though. He didn't want to risk anybody getting ahold of the technology to transport from universe to universe. That kind of power had the ability to destroy a universe if handled improperly. Natsu broke from his musings as he turned to one of the Splicers.

"Are the coordinates correct?"

"Yes, my Kell. We are awaiting your command."

"And all crew is accounted for?"

"Yes, my Kell."

"Stop worrying so much." Mara spoke calmly as she stood to Natsu's left.

"Yeah, I didn't quit my job so you could have doubts, so quit being a pussy." Amanda spoke from Natsu's right. Natsu nodded slowly as each of his hands found themselves occupied by each of his girlfriends' hands. He took a deep breath.

"Okay. Activate the gate!"

Everyone had to squint when the blinding white light from the gate activating. The crew all fell silent as they realized what was about to happen. Natsu's heart felt like it was about to burst from his chest as they all stared in to the white expanse. He felt both women squeeze his hands, and forcing himself to swallow the lump in his throat, spoke once more.

"Listen up. We are all tired, from our battles as well as our misfortune, but it was all for this moment. I promised you a paradise, free from the Traveler and Darkness, and the moment is upon us. Through this gate lies our future, and we all have ourselves to thank for it. It was made by our hands, and by our blood it was built. You have shed blood with me, and I am proud to call each of you a comrade. Together, we have faced the long dark night!" Cheers erupted across all thre Ketch as the soldiers heard his speech. They felt the passion in his voice as he finished his speech. "But now we go forward!"

The three ships lurched forward in to the gate as Natsu's voice rang out.

"Now we move towards the dawn!"

And all three ships were gone.

* * *

Cayde flipped the comm switch on his console, his ship floating listlessly as he stared at the gate while it slowly drifted towards the sun. He watched it break apart before each piece burst in to flames and disintigrated in the sun. He sighed lowly before turning his ship back towards Earth.

"So long, my friends. May you find many more adventures in your journies ahead." His panel began to light up once more before Zavala's voice echoed inside of his ship.

"Cayde! Where the hell did you-" Cayde pushed a button to end the call before sighing once more.

"Because I sure as hell won't."

* * *

The three Ketch emerged from the blinding light in to pure darkness. Everyone stared in to the abyss silently, while Natsu spoke in to the bridge.

"Status report. Where the hell are we?"

"All ships are accounted for. And as to our location, we are exactly where the portal took us, my Kell. This is the last known location of the Vex that invaded your home."

"But where's the solar system?" The splicer began to type in to a tablet for several minutes before responding.

"Well, if the universe has continued to expand since you left," He typed several more things on his tablet. "And the scans show the evidence of the point of universal origin being here, then our goal is approximately four years in that direction." The Vandal pointed straight ahead of itself.

"Okay. How long would it take us to get there in subspace travel?"

"A little over a week." The vandal spoke. Natsu sighed.

"Very well. Set a course and continue as fast as we can. I'm going to get some sleep." Natsu spoke tiredly as he wandered from the bridge. The room was soon illuminated in blue as the ships all entered subspace travel towards Earthland.

* * *

And there we go. Rest assured, Natsu is back in the Earthland universe. We are now out of the Destiny territory, and everything will be mostly Fairy Tail from here on out. This is going to be taking place right as the anime starts, though there will be some differences. Like Bisca and Alzack will already have Asuka, to name one. There will be other changes, and manipulating of ages and dates, so I figure now will be the time to warn you. This chapter took a long time for me to write, simply for how much I had to write and compress down. There were about 5k words that I had to cut just because I felt that they didn't help to move the story at all. There are also some areas that felt a bit rushed to me, but there really wasn't a good way to detail it without adding several thousand more words. That being said, I'm pretty happy with most of this chapter.

Review and let me know how I did,

Temper


	19. Chapter 19

Light

Chapter 19

* * *

"Wake up!" Natsu huffed as Amanda's voice rang out in to his room. The man just groaned and rolled on to his side, turning away from the lighting in his cabin coming on. He heard her shuffling towards him, likely to try and grab the blankets off of him and ruin his rest. His suspicions were confirmed when he felt her hands grab the blankets around his shoulders and begin to try to pry them away. Natsu whined while the woman continued.

"Noooo..." He moaned weakly. He had been cooped up for the past week, with nothing to do but hover over his two girlfriends while everyone waited to reach the solar system that contained Earthland. He had slept terribly the whole time, and had only gotten proper rest last night after Amanda chased him away from the hangar, and Mara shooed him off the bridge.

Everyone was stressed.

It certainly didn't help that his Ketch hadn't been outfitted to hold humans, so the three humans on the vessel had to sustain themselves with rations, and there was no shower. Amanda stopped complaining on the fifth day, merely smacking Natsu with a wrench and stating that he owed her a new bed as it had been the only thing that the trio had to sleep on.

"Get your lazy ass up! Mara said we should be in the system in about three hours." She continued to tug at the blankets, only to shriek when Natsu jumped up and grabbed on to her before dragging her back down to the bed with him.

"We'll deal with it then. Sleep now." He held her while she continued to struggle against him for several minutes before giving up and lying against the man. Natsu sighed and snuggled in to her, his nose scrunching slightly at the smell of motor oil in her hair, but sighing happily as she seemed to give up on fighting him.

"I guess a nap wouldn't hurt..." She convinced herself weakly. Truth be told, she had been incredibly tired since the third day of travel, and could use as much rest as she could get. A mixture of sorting through the Fallen scrap to salvage what she could, her hovering boyfriend, and the overall stress of leaving everything behind for a new world had created a concoction of stress that had led to a week long headache. She and Mara had spoken about it several times, and the Awoken woman had told the blonde mechanic that she was just stressed and anxious. The anxiety, she would be mostly over when they arrived, but the stress was a little more difficult. Everything she knew on stress relief involved her boyfriend or Mara, and given that there were no showers for thousands of miles, Amanda couldn't do anything to relieve the stress. She sighed when Natsu began to trace his fingers up and down her back under her shirt, the callouses on his fingers scratching lightly against her skin. Slowly her eyes closed as the pressure behind them began to fade, and soon sleep claimed her as well as the pink haired man once more.

* * *

Mara sighed from the doorway in jealousy. She had sent Amanda to grab Natsu and bring him to the bridge given their room was closer to the hangar, but that had been nearly three hours ago and she hadn't heard from either of them since. When she finally began to track them down, she quickly found the two of them curled up on the mattress sleeping peacefully.

"Should've been the one to get him." She sighed wistfully. She knew it was better for Amanda to get the rest she so desperately needed, but Mara had come to discover than she greatly enjoyed cuddling. She enjoyed the intimacy of simply lying together, basking in each other's presence peacefully while the world rushed by. She hadn't gotten to do that nearly as much as she wanted, given that she had to remotely guide her followers from Natsu's ship, and she found that something she hadn't been receiving until recently had been something she didn't know if she could live without.

The cuddles, not the sex.

The sex was amazing, and she would certainly become cranky if she didn't receive any, but her soul felt starved from the simple act of nuzzling her face in to her boyfriend's shoulder and feel his heart beating with hers. She closed her eyes and hummed lightly at the thought.

Soon.

Very soon she would be lying in a nice fresh bed, cleanly showered and nice smelling, and Natsu would hold her and Amanda quietly as they listened to the sounds of nature that he talked so adamantly about. She grinned at the thought as she sauntered up and began to tug on the blankets.

"Time for you two to wake up. We're approaching the system."

"Five more minutes." Amanda whined. Natsu just hummed in agreement and nestled further in to her hair. Mara frowned and sighed again as she stood on Amanda's side of the bed. She reached her hands down, gripping the mattress.

"I said. Wake the fuck up!" The woman cackled as she flipped the mattress, and the two occupants, to the ground. Mara began to giggle at the tangle of limbs and cursing that spilled to the floor before sauntering out of the room. "Meet me on the bridge when you two are done playing."

"Fuck you!" Amanda shrieked from underneath Natsu, doing her best to toss the man off of her and throttle the blue skinned woman to death. Natsu just grunted and raised himself up before grabbing Amanda's hand and dragging her up to her feet. The blonde gave him a small kiss on the cheek in thanks, and the two set off to the bridge.

"So... This is Earthland?" Mara asked as she stared at the blue planet. She was stunned on how many similarities it shared with Earth, even down to having a single moon. "What is the moon called?" She turned to face Natsu. The man just shrugged.

"Ummm... I think it's just called 'The Moon' but I couldn't be too sure. We'll have to ask when we get there."

"And where exactly are we going? That's kind of a big planet, and I think I'm right in assuming that you didn't happen to memorize a globe of any kind." Amanda spoke from behind the two. Natsu held out his hand and focused himself for a moment before Specter appeared in particles of light.

"Hey Natsu." The Ghost chirped loudly.

"Hey buddy. How's it been being the Pilot Servitor?" He questioned the little machine. Specter began to chirp loudly.

"I won't deny that I have been enjoying it, but I do not enjoy the size difference." Natsu nodded in agreement.

"It would be hard to keep you as my Ghost if you were the size of that Servitor, but it's not over yet." The man stated. You have access to my memories, right?"

"Affirmative."

"Right. Well can you take a look at my memories from before I was taken by the Vex. I remember a map of the continent used to hang on the wall in my house. Do you think you can dig that deep and find it?"

"Possibly." The Ghost whirred and hummed in focus. "I have never tried to access your memories from before your revival, but theoretically I should be able to. I'll need a few minutes." The Ghost fell silent after that statement, only emitting the occasional chirp or rotation. Everyone on the bridge stared in anticipation as the Ghost continued to dig. Everyone nearly jumped in shock when the Ghost suddenly began to chirp as quickly as it could. "I've got it. The map of the continent shows enough for us to match it from space. I'll need to take control of the Servitor once more and orbit the planet before being able to match any geographical data to the map from your memories."

"Go for it!" Natsu spoke excitedly. Specter floated up to the Servitor before vanishing in to particles of light once more, the Servitor rotating in it's mount for a moment as the Ghost assumed control once more. The Ketch began to lurch forward before moving closer towards the planet and assuming an orbital path.

"Why is it taking this path specifically?" Mara asked Natsu. The man turned to Mara, and the also curious Amanda.

"It's assuming the same trajectory that many of Rasputin's satellites did around Earth. Those patterns had the highest amount of coverage, due to the Warmind needing to be able to deploy weapons from anywhere as quickly as possible, and allowed for the most accurate scans with the least amount of orbits necessary."

Natsu turned to see both women gawking at him. "What?" He ground out, his brow twitching as Mara and Amanda looked to each other before each of them leaned forward and pinched him on the arm. "Ow! What the fuck?" He yelped out, rubbing the sore spot on his arm.

"Sorry." Mara giggled quietly. "It's just you don't tend to know why Specter does the things that he does."

"Yeah." Amanda grinned. "It's just kinda strange hearing you explain something so easily."

"You're both mean!" Natsu grunted out. "Besides, it's not like you two are any different. Neither of you look like you'd be the type of the people to explain something complicated in depth eiter!" He grinned smugly when both women turned a shocked gaze to him.

"Are you saying I don't look like I can explain the fine tuning and calibration required to operate a Golden Age jump drive in a kestral class ship?" Amanda growled out. Mara just began to giggle.

"You look like you work on cars for a living!" Amanda turned a sour gaze to Mara, who ignored it in favor of turning to Natsu with a small glare. "And are you saying I don't look like a regal war princess?" She struck a regal pose and slowly gestured her hand towards the guardian. "I'll have you know that I wear only the finest environmental suits, and fire only the best weapons. Not to mention my wit and vernacular are so fine tuned that I-"

"Save it." Amanda interrupted. "We've both seen what your wit and tongue can do," Amanda rubbed her nails on her shirt before checking them smugly. "And let me tell you, they need work. I'd say that Natsu is more 'regal' with his tongue than you are, and your suit makes you look like a battle dominatrix." The blonde grinned when Mara began to glare daggers at her, and opened her mouth to reply when they heard Natsu chuckling. They both turned to him to see him holding his sides in an attempt to keep his laughter silent, but the dam burst and soon the bridge was flooded with the sound of Natsu's cackling. Both women turned to each other in silent conversation before nodding.

Natsu never saw the hits coming.

"Well." Mara spoke while she rubbed her sore knuckles, the action being mirrored by Amanda while they both stared at their boyfriend twitching on the ground. "I think a bit of silence is in order for now. We wouldn't want to make Specter lose focus."

"Agreed." Amanda spoke.

"Owww..." Natsu moaned from the ground, only to yelp when Amanda kicked him in the ribs.

"She said silence!" The blonde yelled, ignoring the fact that she was yelling louder than the man could moan. Natsu whimpered and curled in to a ball. Mara shook her head and stared out the window of the bridge as the ship continued to circle high above the planet. She couldn't deny how eager she felt at the prospect of getting off the ship and setting her feet on some peaceful ground for once in her life. She was brought out of her thoughts when the Servitor began to chirp, a much deeper mirror of Specter, and the Ghost's voice rang out over the intercom.

"I have matched a location with a 99.99 percent certainty. Where should I land?"

"Hold on a moment..." Natsu groaned out, holding up a single finger weakly as he staggered to his feet. He turned to Mara. "Order your fleet to stay in orbit until I can establish favorable relations. It'll cause a massive headache for everyone if there is a sudden influx of Awoken wandering around like tourists. I'm still not completely sure as to how I'm going to explain the Eliksni." He turned his attention to the Servitor while Mara got on her comms to relay her orders. "Specter, take our Ketch to about 25 miles east of Magnolia, and keep us cloaked. Me, Amanda, and Mara will hop out and make the walk to the city. What time is it in Magnolia anyway?"

"Calculating location: Magnolia. Location confirmed. Estimated time of arrival: five minutes. Current time at drop zone: 0315."

"Ugh!" Amanda moaned angrily. "I hate the lag that space travel gives me. It's gonna take me months to get my sleep schedule unfucked from this."

"Don't worry." Mara walked up and pat the woman on her shoulder sympathetically. "We'll find a way to tire you out and fix your schedule." Amanda yelped with the hand that was comforting her delivered a sharp spank to her rear. Amanda turned to glare at the blue skinned woman, who could only grin back impishly.

"Calm down ladies. There will be time for fun later." He walked forward and materialized Specter. " You're coming with us. Let's get to the hangar. Parsix!"

"Yes, my Kell?"

"How are the new arms treating you?" He faced the Vandal, who held out his lower set of arms and flexed. They were noticeably thinner than his top set, but the speed at which he had regenerated them had astounded the other Eliksni. It took Parsix months to achieve something that took normal Eliksni nearly a full decade. Natsu theorized that his bonding with Natsu had given him the ability to naturally absorb the power of Light, much like guardians could do to replenish their power over time, but he had no way to confirm it. Parsix chuckled.

"They are doing well. They will need more time to finish growing, and then I can begin to strengthen them. They have already improved vastly since we arrived in this universe."

"Excellent. I leave command of the Ketch to you. Be prepared to remotely deliver my ship to me when I give the signal. Understood?"

"Your order shall be carried out, my Kell." The Vandal bowed, much to Natsu's annoyance. Sure, he was technically their king, but all the formal bowing and posturing annoyed him to no end, and Parsix seemed to go overboard for the sole purpose of annoying the guardian. Natsu just waved at the Vandal over his shoulder as the three humans departed from the bridge and walked to the hangar bay. "Parsix turned to one of the Splicers when he was sure Natsu was out of range. "Send a team of Stealth Vandals after him as escorts. Our Kell's safety is top priority, and I will not have something happening to him when we just arrived." The Splicer nodded and began to type in the command on his tablet before nodding once more and returning to his previous task. Parsix merely stared out the window of the bridge as the landscape blurred by beneath their Ketch. "Forgive me for looking out for your safety, my Kell."

"I want us all to keep our suits on until we can confirm that the atmosphere isn't harmful to any of us. I know that I had little problems on Venus and Earth, but I'm also know for being an anomaly."

"Whatever." Amanda grunted as she pulled her helmet on and donned her environmental suit. Mara chuckled and stood next to the woman before pulling her helmet on as well.

"Look at it this way, once we get all the confirmation and bullshit out of the way, we can all enjoy a nice hot shower. Or maybe even bath in a lake or stream." Mara began to hum happily at all of the possibilities. Amanda just rolled her eyes and turned to Natsu as he finished equipping his armour and donning his helmet. She raised her eyebrow when he also donned his green hooded cloak, a gift from an Iron Lord if she was remembering correctly. Natsu noticed her gazing at him and shrugged.

"It'll help for concealment."

"What about us? You're still travelling with two women in form fitting environmental suits."

"... It looks cool..." Natsu spoke weakly. Mara merely rolled her eyes.

"That's all you had to say." She replied lamely. Natsu felt the ship coming to a stop as they finished checking their gear while, and the three of them were off.

* * *

"Wow..." Mara spoke in awe as she stared at the landscape around them. It had been nearly five hours since they started their trek, and according to Specter they still had about an hour or two of walking before they reached the city. The sun had come up, and the women were taken aback by how everything seemed surreal in the morning light. Natsu chuckled as he took in their expressions.

"I told you. My world was full of life and beauty. Earth had forests too." He pointed out. Amanda shook her head.

"Yeah, but they were nothing like this. The forests were all so... quiet. You couldn't help but feel afraid. Everyone knew that there was danger in the woods, but here it's different. I hear birds, and I just saw a squirrel! Mom always used to tell me about them when she was younger, but I never actually saw one."

"You never mentioned your mom." Mara pointed out as they walked. Amanda fidgeted with her hands for a bit.

"She was killed by the Hive when they raided our refugee convoy. We were about two days from the Last City. There was supposed to be a shuttle to deliver us from our settlement, but it was broken down when we were forced to leave from the Hive invading nearby settlements. It's kinda why I became a mechanic..." She finished weakly. She felt a hand clasp hers gently, and turned to face Natsu. She couldn't see his facce through his visor, but she knew that there was love in his eyes. She squeezed his hand back. "My mom is the reason that I'm still here. Her and her Chaperone killed off the Hive before she fell to her injuries. I buried her with that gun... Kinda wished I'd kept it." She finished quietly. Natsu nodded, and Mara bowed sheepishly.

"I'm... Sorry for bringing that up." Mara apologized. Amanda waved off her apology.

"It's okay. She'd love this place. She would've hated the Last City if she had made it. She was always the outdoors type. Loved to hunt and fish, and wasn't happy with working unless she ended up covered in mud by the end of the day." Natsu and Mara could hear the fondness in her voice. Natsu squeezed her hand again.

"She'd be proud of you." Natsu spoke calmly. Amanda nodded.

"I know. Enough of this sad talk for now. Let's get moving!"

* * *

"Asuka, wait for us before you go running off!" A light green haired woman yelled after a small dark green haired girl. The little girl turned around to stare at the woman.

"Sorry, mommy. I just want to go see everyone."

"I know, but you can't just go running off like that. Stay with me or your dad, and we'll go to the guild after we finish shopping." The woman said as she pat her daughter on the head over her small orange cowboy hat. She stared at the pouting child before sighing and turning to her husband. "She won't listen to me when she's like this. You do something, Alzack."

"Right." The man said sheepishly. He ran a tan hand through his short black hair while adjusting the poncho resting over his shoulders before kneeling in front of the small child. "Hey sweet heart, how about you and mommy go to the guild while I do the shopping?" He turned a cautious eye to his wife, taking a moment to appreciate how having a child hadn't affected her figure in the least. She wore her small red vest and black bikini top with her brown leather skirt and matching cowboy boots.

Alzack was a grateful man for many things.

His beautiful wife and loving daughter were the most obvious things, but he was also grateful for the family that stood behind him while him and his wife made their journey through life together. He still recalled fondly the guild that held one of the rowdiest weddings present, and the party that lasted for nearly a full day before anyone let him and his wife retreat for their honeymoon. But, for everyone that was there, he was also thankful for those who weren't. He thought idly of his long gone friend.

Natsu Dragneel.

His impact had taken a great toll on the guild. Lisanna had become withdrawn since then, only stopping by the guild long enough to take a job before vanishing once more in to the night. Elfman had tried multiple times to accompany the smaller Strauss, but the girl had been adamant about going alone, and Makarov could do nothing to stop her given that she always accepted jobs at her level and checked in frequently. The only people the girl would listen to was her older sister and the red headed requip mage that her sister had partnered with, though they were at the guild even less frequently than Lisanna.

Elfman had taken to training like a man posessed, seeing Natsu's demise as a slight on his own abilities, and took to taking control of more powerful and dangerous creatures. Several times it nearly saw his demise, but it seemed as if he would always be able to regain control over the beast when he most needed to. The man now towered over every other mage in the guild, both in size and muscle, and made excessive use of the word manly.

Nobody had seen Gildarts since Natsu's funeral. It seemed as if the death of one he considered a son had driven the man further in to his wanderings than ever, and nothing was going to bring him back. Every job he had taken had been mailed out to him by Makarov, despite the old man's attempts to lure him back to the guild.

"That sounds fine." Alzack was broken from his musings when his wife spoke.

"Huh?"

"I said that sounds fine." Bisca rolled her eyes at her husband's empty headedness. She reached down and plucked her daughter's hand in to her own before the child could go running off, and placed a small kiss on her husband's cheek. "We'll see you at the guild, okay?"

"Sure." He said as he watched his wife and giggling daughter walk towards town. He chuckled lowly to himself before beginning his journey in to town as well. His wife and himself had decided soon after getting married that living just outside of the city was the safer bet for raising a family. It gave them plenty of room to train, and Asuka had lots of room to play. Plus, the house always had room to expand, just in case his family decided to as well. He blushed at the thought of expanding his family with his beautiful wife, and let out a perverse giggle before sighing and heading to town to do his shopping.

* * *

Bisca rolled her eyes when she felt her husband's eyes on her rear. She sighed lightly and smirked when she heard him giggle. She knew that giggle anywhere, and luckily for her, she wanted to expand their family as well. She had taken to being a mother excellently, and while Asuka was nowhere near going out on her own, the little girl had become more independent with the freedoms that her parents issued her. She sighed when she looked down to see her daughter was no longer besides her, but running full sprint towards the guild. Bisca broke in to a jog to catch up to her daughter when the little girl ran over the top of the hill and out of her sight. Her jog turned in to a ful blown sprint when she heard her daughter shriek. When she crested the hill moments later, she was greeted to a strange sight.

Three people dressed in strange armour stood next to the girl that was now sitting on her bottom, holding her scuffed knee as she tried not to cry. The three strangers seemed to be exchanging words when Bisca got within range to grab her daughter.

"-stupid jackass. You're supposed to be the one with the super senses, how did you not hear her coming?" The shortest of the three spoke in a distinctly feminine voice and a finger stabbed at the tallest person. The tallest of the three shrugged, the armour and posture suggesting it to be a male, though it was hard to tell with the dark green cloak draped over his shoulders.

"Everything is muffled with this damned environmental helmet on. I miss my actual helmet so badly." The voice spoke in a bored tone, the now obvious man grabbed on to the helmet and adjusted it on his head before his hands were smacked away by the third person.

"That's too bad. It's still damaged from our fight with the Vex, and Amanda hasn't had a chance to repair it. Now stop fidgeting so much. Specter is almost done with his scans of the atmosphere, and we should be able to take these suits off soon enough." The final voice spoke, and Bisca could easily detect the playful tone to her voice. The man just crossed his arms and began to grumble to himself while the two females turned to the little girl, both now noticing the green haired woman that was eyeing them warily. The shortest of them offered a weak wave, while the other female adjusted her helmet a little before standing straight and waving at the woman. "Hello." The woman chirped happily. Bisca blinked at the group for a moment before her daughter's sniffling caught her attention.

"Are you okay, Asuka?" Bisca spoke as she rushed up to her daughter and standing her up. The trio watched the green haired woman fuss over her daughter, shuffling her around to examine and dust every inch of the girl off. When the woman was done with her inspection, she stood straight and eyed the group warily. Their armour was strange, and she could practically feel the power radiating off of the tall man that was still grumbling to himself. She was broken out of her suspicion when she heard the taller of the two women clear her throat. "Oh! Umm... hello." The green haired woman waved slowly. The taller of the women nodded.

"I'd like to apologize. We were on our way to this guild we heard about, and we weren't exactly paying attention to our surroundings." The woman spoke peacefully. Bisca nodded and offered an apology of her own.

"I'm sorry as well. Asuka is known to get away from me and my husband every so often. She's just eager to get to the guild and see all of her friends." The woman shrugged as she grabbed her daughter's hand. "Asuka, apologize for running in to them. That was very rude of you to not pay attention to where you were going." Everyone turned to watch the girl stare at the ground guiltily before looking up to the three strangers.

"I'm very sorry..." She spoke shyly. The two women let out small squeals at the adorable child, while the man turned to face the girl and knelt down. Bisca felt herself becoming nervous, but it quickly dispersed when the man chuckled and rubbed the little girl's head gently. Asuka giggled as she looked in to the helmet of the stranger. "I can see my face in your mask." She giggled louder and began to pat the relfective visor on the man's mask. The strange man gave off a deep chuckle at her actions. Bisca smiled at the interaction before realization struck her.

"You all said you were going to the guild, right?"

"Yeah." The shorter woman spoke before nudging the man in the butt with her foot. "The big lug here said we're looking for a place called 'Fairy Tail'."

"That's where we're going too!" The little girl chimed loudly, causing everyone to stare at the toddler, who could only shuffle in place nervously when the attention was focused on her. "What?" She asked shyly. Bisca just rolled her eyes.

"As my daughter just said, we're going to the guild too. Are you looking to join?" She turned her focus to the man, who could only shrug in response.

"Perhaps. I'd like to see what the place has to offer, and see if they have a shower we can use. It's been about a week since my last shower, and I'll just say that I'm glad this suit is sealed." He chuckled weakly. He noticed the two women with him staring at him strangely, but a small shake of his head had them drop the subject for now.

"Well I guess you can come with us. I've got to warn you, it's probably rowdy." Bisca warned the trio. The largest one gave a loud chuckle at that.

"I'm pretty sure nothing in this universe is quite as rowdy as me." The way he said it made Bisca think it was some sort of inside joke, especially when the two women scoffed.

"Nothing in this universe or the next can handle how rowdy you are." The taller of the two women giggled. Bisca merely sighed at the banter they shared before leading them towards the guild.

"I've never seen a town so quaint before!" The taller of the women spoke in awe as she took in the sights that Magnolia had to offer. Bisca rolled her eyes at the woman who had to stop every five minutes to gawk over one thing or another.

"Magnolia isn't that big, and it's style is relatively new. You from Crocus or something?" The green haired woman asked while her daughter kept trying to tug out of her mother's grip to run off. A stern look from Bisca stopped Asuka every time.

"Or something." The three people responded at once. Bisca raised an eyebrow at the three before continuing on. Asuka began to fidget like crazy when the guild finally came in to view, and Bisca could swear she heard the man let out a shuttered breath, but her daughter was being a pretty big distraction. Bisca huffed as she set Asuka down.

"I'll set you down, but you stay by my side, got it?" She turned to gaze at her daughter, only to see her sprinting full bore towards the entry of the guild.

Time moved in slow motion for Bisca as her daughter got within ten feet of the guild's entrance, only to stumble when the doors exploded and Elfman came flying out of the splintered remains. Bisca yelled when she saw that the colossal man was heading straight for her cowering daughter, and broke out in to a sprint to save her. Her heart pounded in dread when she realized that she wouldn't make it in time, only to blink in shock when the giant man was halted in mid air by the man in the green cloak. She turned to the spot that the man just was, only to see the spot empty and the two women with him drawing weapons as they began to sprint towards their companion. She stared at the green cloaked man as he held out a single hand to hold Elfman in place, before rearing his arm back and throwing the man back in to the guild. He knelt down in front of the cowering Asuka.

"Are you okay?" He asked the girl as he stood her up and pat her head gently. Asuka gave a tearful nod and ran back towards her mother, who was waiting to hold the little girl and fuss over her once again. He stood back up to stare in to the guild, frowning when he realized that he couldn't hear anything going on inside, which meant that everything had gone silent with his arrival. Bisca quickly rushed up to the man.

"Thank you." She spoke honestly. The man merely nodded and gestured ahead of himself. Taking the hint, Bisca led the way in, the man following behind her, and the two armed women following him cautiously. The scene that greeted them was exactly what Natsu had expected.

Everyone was staring at them.

Well, not at Bisca and Asuka, but at the man and two armed women. Natsu turned to the two women and held his hand up, and both women holstered their weapons. That did nothing to kill the tension though. Natsu stared at everyone in the guild, feeling his chest hurt a little at how much everyone looked the same, but different. There were broken chairs and tables strewn about from their normal brawls, and everyone was sporting scuffs and bruises of some sort. Bisca turned to one of the members in the guild.

"Is Master here?"

"Yeah." The man responded. Natsu couldn't seem to remember this one, but four years tended to change everything. "He's in his office right now. Had a call from one of the other guild masters. He should be out in a few moments..." The man replied akwardly as he stared at the three people who had followed Bisca in. Everyone was snapped out of their thoughts when Elfman returned to the land of the living with a loud groan.

"What hit me?" He asked groggily, only to shiver when he felt Bisca's furious gaze land on him.

"That man over there did, and good thing he did too. You almost landed on Asuka you dumbass!" She shouted to the large man, who could only stare at the ground in shame.

"Hurting Asuka is not manly. I'm sorry Bisca." He apologized. Bisca huffed.

"Whatever. Who's the dumbass who threw you so I can string him up naked in front of the guild?"

"It was Gray!" Elfman shouted quickly, and the crowd parted to reveal the ice mage trying to sneak out of the guild, his underwear being the only item of clothing on his person. He shrieked when Bisca leveled her glare on him and made to sprint from the guild, but found his path blocked by the green cloaked stranger in weird armour.

"Move out of the way, dumbass! She's going to kill me!" He practically shouted to the armoured man, though it didn't seem to affect the man at all. Gray quickly noticed Bisca closing in on him, and decided to just move the man if he wasn't going to budge. "Fine. If you won't move. Ice make: Ham-" He didn't even get to finish his spell when an armoured fist collided with his cheek and sent him spiraling back in to the crowd, his underwear flying off of him as he was launched away. Bisca moved to cover Asuka's eyes while the ice mage quickly tumbled to his feet, rubbing his swollen cheek and glaring at the armoured man.

"Oh my." A voice from the taller of the two women with the man spoke casually. "It seems you hit him naked. Good job."

"Yeah. Never thought you'd hit a naked man, but you surprise me every day!" The shorter of the women began to laugh, causing a few of the guild members to chuckle as well. Gray ground his teeth before rushing towards the man again.

"A lucky shot! You won't get another one. Ice ma-" He was once again interrupted when the man shot forward and buried a fist in his gut. Gray felt his breath leave him. This man hit him way harder than Elfman, and possibly harder than Laxus ever had. He felt his stomach heave as he blew drool all over the man's shoulder before being launched backwards again. The crowd parted ways as Gray was sent flying once more, only being stopped by the far wall. Elfman had recovered enough to stand back up and rush towards the stranger.

"Hitting my comrades is definitely NOT manly!" The beast bellowed out as he drew his hand back for a punch, only to shriek in surprise when the stranger put a hand on his shoulder and use his other hand to twist his drawn arm behind his back and get behind him. Everyone watched in shock when the man held Elfman's arm behind his back and kicked his legs out from under him, resulting in the giant slamming face first in to the ground while the stranger saddled his back and kept his arm firmly gripped. The man was startled when Elfman let out a loud roar and climbed to his knees before muscling his arm out of the stranger's grip. He turned and faced the man angrily, blood pouring out of his nose and down his chin. The stranger let out an audible sigh when Elfman began to grow, his body growing brown fur as his feature morphed to match one of the many beasts he had possessed. Natsu clenched his hands, his knuckles popping as he prepared to fight the take-over mage. Elfman let out a mighty roar and charged forward, only to be suddenly halted by a large hand crushing him to the ground. Natsu jumped back in time to dodge the one that was coming for him, landing safely by his two traveling companions as a voice that Natsu thought he may never hear again bellowed in anger.

"What the hell are you brats doing to my guild?!"

"He started it!" Gray bellowed from the crater he was climbing out of. Makarov turned to face the three strangers once more, and Natsu could hear the two women next to him gulp. They were saved when Asuka ran in front of the trio and held her arms up.

"No they didn't! Elfman started it and mommy was going to finish it anyway!"

"That's right." Bisca grunted as she walked over to pick up her daughter. "That jackass under your hand almost squashed my baby, and Gray tried to assault these three when he tried to escape my anger and FOR MAVIS' SAKE PUT ON SOME FUCKING PANTS!" The green haired woman screamed at Gray as the ice mage stood there massaging his cheek before suddenly darting around the guild looking for his clothes while Bisca covered Asuka's eyes once more. Makarov turned his gaze from the mage under his palm, to the trio once more.

"Is this true?" His voice echoing through the whole guild. The taller of the two women nodded.

"Yes. We're travelers from very far away, and the big guy here wanted to visit this place." She gestured to the man, who could only give off a small wave. Everyone let out a sigh of relief when the master nodded and slowly began to revert to his normal size, which to Mara and Amanda's shock, was just about three feet tall. They stared in shock when the old man gave them a cheeky smile and walked over to the bar. He hopped up and sat down on the bar, next to a brunette in a bikini and grabbed a mug of beer.

"Well that's interesting. How can I be of service to three strangely dressed travelers such as yourselves?"

"I'll speak about that in a bit." The man spoke. Makarov felt as if he had heard the voice before, but shrugged it off to old age. "For now, do you have a shower that we can use? I need one very badly."

"Of course." Makarov laughed. "The men's shower is over there, and the women's is over there." He gesture to two separate ends of the guild hall. The man gave a nod and began to walk towards the men's shower while his two companions traveled towards the other. "There should be some spare clothes for you in the hallway closet!" He yelled after the trio. The man just waved over his shoulder while the women thanked him. Makarov was brought out of his musings when Cana spoke.

"You didn't put towels in the women's shower again, did you?"

"Nope!" The man replied cheerily. His cheer was brought down when the two women emerged moments later, still in their suits.

"There's no towels. Or spare clothes." The taller one pointed out stoically. The shorter one nodded, and Makarov couldn't contain his sigh.

"I can't win them all..." He grumbled in to his beer. They were interrupted when the strange little machine floated out from the men's shower and towards the two women.

"What's up, Specter?" The taller woman asked. The machine whirred for a moment.

"I have completed my scans. The atmosphere is within safe parameters, and you are safe to remove your helmets."

"Finally," The smaller woman grumbled out as she reached a hand up and unclasped her helmet with a hiss. Makarov stared at the blonde beauty that was revealed when she pulled her helmet off. "God I hate those things. I should've just waited on the ship."

"I suppose you could have." The other woman pulled her helmet off, and Makarov gasped in shock at what he saw. Light blue skin and snow white hair, and eyes that glowed like blue flame looked back to the blonde. "But when else would we have gotten the time to take such a lovely nature walk?"

"I guess you're right..." The blonde admitted.

"Excuse me." Both women turned to see the gaping master. "But may I please have your names?"

"Sure!" The blue skinned woman chirped happily. "My name is Mara Sov."

"Amanda Holliday." The blonde grunted as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

"And what of your other companion?"

"He's a secret." Mara grinned playfully at the man. "Relax, he'll be out in a minute." She turned to look at all of the members of the guild staring at her. She shuffled over to Amanda nervously. "Why are they staring at me?" She whispered lowly. Amanda hummed in thought for a moment.

"Probably 'cause you're blue?" She asked, looking over to the guild for confirmation. She received it when she got nods from nearly everyone in the guild. Mara sighed.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they don't have Awoken here..." The woman spoke lowly. Amanda pat her on the shoulder.

"It's okay. It's not like anyone will treat you differently for how you look."

"Why the fuck is that chick blue?!" A voice exclaimed loudly from the door. Everyone turned to see a well developed woman with ash grey hair standing in the doorway. "And why is the door gone? Again!"

"Mira!" Elfman exclaimed as she stomped in to the guild. The white haired woman turned her glare to him.

"Don't you or Gray go anywhere. This has you two written all over it." She growled. Elfman nodded and sat down on the ground while Gray snuck out the front door, only to be thrown back in immediately after exiting. Everyone turned to see a red headed woman come marching in, her breastplate reflecting the morning sun.

"I believe you had something to do with this door, Gray. I thought you had learned to not fight after last time..." She spoke lowly as Gray began to sweat before running over and slapping a hand over Elfman's shoulder.

"N-nah Erza, no need to worry at all. Me and Elfman were just saying how those doors are starting to rot and should be replaced, and we were getting them down to take them to get measured and they just... fell apart?" Gray turned a nervous gaze to Elfman, who could only nod dumbly out of fear. Erza nodded to herself.

"That's very noble of you to care so much about the guild. I would like to-"

"They almost squished me with their fighting!" Asuka yelled out from beside her mother at the bar, much to both men's horror. Erza's fury was instant as she punted Elfman through the back of the guild and pulled Gray up by his throat.

"You will pay for all of the damage that you two idiots caused. Got it?"

"Aye!" Gray spoke weakly. Erza nodded once more before throwing the ice mage after Elfman.

"Good. Now, why is that woman blue?"

"For fuck's sake!" Mara yelled out. "I'm not sick or anything, it's just how my people are born!"

"I can dig it!" Mara turned to see a man in a white trench coat slide up to her and Amanda. His dark blue hair was slicked back, and his stubble was prominent. "My name's Macao, and it is all my pleasure to meet you." He grinned to the woman. Mara stared at him for a moment before smiling back.

"I'm charmed." She chuckled at the man. Macao saw that as his chance and swept up right next to her, grabbing her hand in his own.

"Well, if you're not too busy, maybe you could let me show you the town? I know this cafe that has the best sandwiches." He frowned when the blonde next to Mara snorted.

"What?"

"Maybe if you decide to flirt," The blonde spoke to the man. "You shouldn't be wearing a wedding ring." Mara and Amanda shared a chuckle when the man quickly slid the ring off his finger and in to his pocket.

"That's nothing! I wear it to remember my long passed wife. She was the light of my life, but she would want me to move on!" He quickly swept Mara's hands back in to his own. He was about to speak again when a low growling was emitted from the rafters above, followed by a gravelly voice that Amanda and Mara quickly recognized as Eliksni.

"You will remove your hands from the Kell's mate!" Everyone stared in shock when four monsters dropped down and surrounded the two women. They had four arms, and the face of a jackal, but what was most dangerous was that each arms held a blade that crackled with electricity. Everyone was immediately on alert, their various types of magic flaring to life in response to the threat. The Eliksni responded in kind as they readied their blades and began to chirp to each other in their native tongue.

"You brought demons in to our home?!" The white haired girl identified as Mira yelled as her magic began to surround her. Mara and Amanda quickly drew their weapons.

"No! Listen just wait for our companion to get out and he'll-"

"Enough!" Everyone paused as the voice of the man they were talking about emerged from the back room. Everyone turned to see the man come out, hands rubbing the towel over his head to dry his hair as he walked towards the group. "I just wanted a shower. Ten minutes was all it took for any semblance of peace to fall to shit!" He growled out. Mara apologized quickly, but Amanda wasn't going to have any of it.

"It's not our fault that you wanted to come here. You could've warned us that they were all bat shit crazy, or that Parsix had sent a security detail with us!" She stabbed a finger in to his chiseled chest. The man grunted and grabbed on to her hands to prevent her from striking him further.

"I didn't know that Parsix would send a security detail after us, and I couldn't hear them because these helmets suck!" He defended himself. Amanda grit her teeth in anger at the man.

"Bullshit. You have always been able to pick up the sound of their cloaks from nearly a quarter mile away, but you can't hear them when they're right on tope of us? I call bullshit on you, Natsu Dragneel!"

There were several loud gasps at the mention of that name. Amanda stopped fighting her boyfriend's grip when she felt the tension of the room shift. She turned to see everyone in the room staring at the man as if he were a ghost, but none more so than the redhead, the white haired woman, and the old man on the counter. She pulled her hands back as Natsu reached up and pulled the towel off of his head. Everyone gasped in shock when they saw the pink haired man grin at them all.

"Hey guys! Did you miss me?"

* * *

Got this chapter up after I realized it's been a month since I last updated this story. That's too long in my opinion, and I'm sorry for the wait. For anyone who noticed though, I put out a one-shot about Natsu and Juvia. It's called 'The Need for Rain' and it is what ate up most of my time. I get these ideas, and while normal people can sort and prioritize them, I need to write them down to get them out of my mind. It started as a simple couple of paragraphs, and evolved in to a 16k story.

Gotta learn to control that., but my mind never lets me stop at a certain point.

Anyway, I got this chapter out, and this story has become my main focus once more, especially because of the Destiny 2 gameplay was shown. I'm so fucking pumped for that! The next chapter may be up late this weekend, or early next week, and I'm doing my best to keep them around 10k for length so that I can edit them and get them out quicker. That being said, I know I'll fail and you'll probably still get a few 13-15k chapters, so yay for you guys.

Anyway, read and review, and check out my other stories if you haven't already.

Hope you all enjoyed,

Temper


	20. Chapter 20

Light

Chapter 20

* * *

"What did you just say?" Erza asked slowly, her eyes wide as she stared at the pink haired man.

"I asked if you guys missed me." He spoke slowly to the woman, an eyebrow raised at everyone's expression. He had expected more than a simple question after nearly five minutes of silence while his friends stared at him. Mara and Amanda had fallen silent in awe at just how quiet the room had become. Even when their boyfriend was handling those two other men, there was still a bit of ambient noise, almost as if the building itself was alive with the rest of the action, but now everything had been dead silent for far longer than either woman was comfortable with. Amanda was about to speak, but a quick head shake from Mara silenced her.

"You aren't him." Mira said angrily as she stood in front of the man, now having to look up to stare in to his eye. "You can't be him. He died fighting those machines four years ago."

"I didn't die to them." Natsu spoke quietly. "They just took me."

"Where?" Makarov asked. "Where did they take you."

"To one of their preferred universes." Natsu shrugged. "They knew I wouldn't be able to survive in the fourth dimension, so they took me to one of their nearly conquered third dimensional universes. The science behind it is so advanced that I'm pretty sure it won't be discovered here for another couple thousand years."

"Well then, 'Natsu'," Erza spoke sarcastically. "Why should I believe you?"

"Well how can I-" His response was cut off when a blast of demon magic blew him through the entrance of the guild and outside. Everyone watched them man hit the ground and roll several times before coming to a stop. Amanda, Mara, and the four Eliksni rushed out to stand over the downed man as the little machine called Specter hovered over the still man.

"Guardian down!"

"What does that mean?" Mira huffed angrily as she stepped out of the guild hall after them, her hands glowing with the dark magic that she used to strike the man she saw as an imposter down. Mara drew her side arm and stood guard over the man, flanked on either side by two Eliksni while Amanda stood talking to Specter and the last two Eliksni stood still with one of their hands to their helmets and letting out a low chattering sound.

"It means you just killed him."

Mira felt her heart drop in her chest. "I-I what?"

"You killed him." Mara replied dismissively. "Man he is going to be pissed when he comes back. What's the count looking like Specter?"

"Revival in three, two, one."

Everyone had to cover their eyes when the man's body disappeared in a blinding flash of light, only to reappear standing in front of Mara and the Eliksni in his full suit of armour. Everyone could only stare in apprehension at how much more dangerous the man looked in the dark purple and gold armour, his helmet reflecting the sunlight off of it's smooth surface. He turned towards the Awoken woman and spoke.

"If it looks bad Mara, do you think you can freeze them like that Minotaur?"

"Easily." The woman replied with a smirk. "Will it just be her?"

"I have a feeling the redhead will join in as well." Amanda commented from behind Mara. "She's looking a little twitchy." Natsu turned to see Erza's fingers twitching before coming to stand besides Mira.

"You said I killed him!" Mira shouted at the Awoken woman. Mara merely shrugged.

"You did." Natsu replied calmly. "But I've picked up some new tricks since I was taken away that day."

"You aren't him!" Mira shouted as she allowed her Satan soul transformation to come to life while Erza requipped in to her Heaven's Wheel armour as well. Both women flew towards the armoured man, only to stop several feet in front of him in mid air as they were enveloped in a purple glow. Natsu stared at their still forms for a moment before turning to Mara.

"Can they hear me?"

"Yes." Mara spoke calmly, one hand extended as her eyes glowed a deep purple. "I've got them frozen, but their brains are still processing all of the information around them. Got something to say?" She asked. Natsu just shrugged.

"More like something to ask." He slowly stood in front of Mira, noticing her pupils doing their best to shake loose from their paralysis to follow the man as he moved towards her. "Where is my scarf, Mira?" He noticed how her pupils suddenly dialated. "I know you can hear me. I left it with you when I told you to take Erza and leave, yet I don't see it. Did you throw it away perhaps? Or maybe Lisanna has it... Perhaps Happy has it... Have you seen him recently? I'd like to hug my little buddy again. I've missed him like you would not believe. Missed you too Mira, though I wish our reunion was a bit smoother. Oh well, I guess you always were quick to anger. We'll talk more in a bit. I've got to speak with Erza now." Natsu turned towards the redhead and took the several steps towards her. "It's good to see you again Erza. I hope that everyone has been alright since I left. Everything seems pretty good here, but I'm noticing a few people aren't here. Maybe they're out on jobs?" Natsu noticed that her eyes were following him and let out a low whistle. "You must be pretty strong to break through Mara's power, if only a little bit." He saw the redheads gaze shoot to the Awoken woman. "Yes. That is Mara. The blonde behind her is Amanda. The aliens are the Eliksni, Vandal class to be specific."

"Yes this is all fun," Mara spoke dismissively. "But can we move on? This is causing me to get a headache." Mara didn't notice the seal that appeared above her, or the sword that seemed to fly from the seal towards her head. Natsu leapt over an caught the blade by the handle before it could connect, and turned an angry glare back to Erza. He was about to speak, but Mara beat him to it.

"You tried to kill ME? Do you even know who I am?!" Mara raised her other hand up and the purple glow around Erza intensified. "I am Mara Sov, Queen of the Awoken. I should bend you in half backwards and see if I can put your own head up you ass before you die!" Everyone flinched when Erza's body slowly began to bend backwards, her armour creaking in protest as the redhead let out a strangled gasp of pain. Mara was about to finish it, but Natsu's hand on her shoulder got the woman to ease up and return Erza to her upright position. "Be thankful that Natsu deems you worthy to survive. I know he's killed people who have tried for his loved ones before."

"It's fine Mara. I get how this all looks. I kinda figured they'd think I was dead, but I know of only one way to prove that I am me."

"How?" Amanda asked from besides the two chattering Eliksni.

"By doing something that nobody but me can do?"

"Like what?" Mara turned her head to him slightly, not removing her gaze from the two petrified women. The rest of the guild stood just outside the entrance as they watched the battle. Makarov sat silently by, listening to every detail his old ears could pick up. Everything about this man claiming to be Natsu seemed to make him an imposter. He didn't dress the same, act the same, or even seem to fight the same, but Makarov hadn't gotten this far in life without at least considering the impossible to be possible. If what he had just heard was correct though, he was going to be able to confirm if this was really Natsu or not.

"You ladies wanna see the magic I used before I was a guardian?" Natsu gave a feral smile to the two women. Amanda nodded while Mara voiced her approval. Natsu walked over to the edge of the pier outside of the guild and faced the seemingly endless lake. He removed his helmet and set it next to himself before taking several deep breaths. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

Everyone could only stare in shock as the pink haired man let loose with one of Natsu's signature spells, the flame becoming white hot as it shot a jet of fire nearly 300 feet over the lake's surface. Soon, steam began to erupt from the lake and overtake the occupants on land, though Natsu's spell had yet to end, causing the steam to glow a bright white as it climbed over the occupants and even over the guild. After several more seconds, the flame cut out, and the steam slowly dissipated. Everyone stared at Natsu in shock as the man took several deep breaths before standing up straight and facing the stunned guild.

"Well? Proof enough?"

Makarov was the first to appraoch the pink haired man. "I've missed you so much, my boy." He sniffled as Natsu knelt down and brought him in to a hug. Natsu peered up at Mara and nodded, causing the woman to release Mirajane and Erza, both of whom fell to their knees and took in deep breaths. They each turned to each other and nodded before standing up and facing Mara, who could only raise a delicate brow at the two women.

"I will recommend you don't try anything else. Natsu may have stopped me once, but my tolerance only goes so far."

"I'm sorry." Erza said while bowing her head in apology. "This whole scenario is just very strange to us. We didn't ever think we'd see him again."

"Yeah." Mira chimed in. "Everyone thought he was dead, and it's just kinda been like that since. Me and Red here were on the mission that got him captured. Seeing someone just waltz in and claim to be him..."

"It can cause some anger." Mara said dismissively with a wave of her hand. "I understand that. He talked about you guys all the time, you know?"

"He did?" Mira and Erza both asked at the same time.

"Of course. Every time he could, he'd tell us all about Fairy Tail and all of the friends and family he had in the guild. Nearly every moment he spent on Earth and in the outlaying colonies, he was doing his best to find a way home. He fought everything and anything to get back here, even going as far as fighting his own allies. Amanda and myself may be important to Natsu, but getting back here was even more so." Mara stared fondly at the pink haired man as he exchanged pleasantries with other members of the guild that slowly began to trickle over to him.

"So what is he to you and Amanda?" Erza asked curiously. Mara turned back to the woman and smiled.

"I'd say more than a boyfriend, but less than a husband. He calls it 'being mates' but that just sounds like something animals do. It feels kinda low when it's put like that."

"So you're his mate?" Erza asked, and Mara nodded. "Then what does that make Amanda?" Erza gestured over to the blonde woman. Mara merely chuckled and responded.

"She's also his mate."

"So you three are..." Erza stuttered slowly, a rapid blush growing on her face. Mara chuckled at the woman's face.

"Yes. All three of us are together. And before you ask, yes we have all been intimate together."

"Oh really?" Mirajane asked, eyebrow raised and a small blush adorning her cheeks. "And how does that go? How does that even work?" The eldest Strauss found her blush growing as she tried to imagine the ways that three people could be intimate. Mara held back a giggle as she sauntered right up to Mirajane.

"Well... Ususally one of us will go first and have us a nice long ride, and the other will get some special attention from Mr. Dragneel's tongue." The Awoken woman whispered in to the ear of the furiously blushing Strauss. "And if the other one wants a ride as well... Well let's just say that Amanda and myself both know how to make the other... tick." Mara finished in a small pant as she stepped away from both women and almost broke in to a fit of giggles at seeing the far away look on Mirajane's face, while Erza had a small dribble of blood fall from her nose and on to her armour. Both women seemed to right themselves at the same time, and turned away with a loud huff. Mara chuckled to herself and turned her attention back on to Natsu, who was speaking with a nearly naked man and the white haired giant that had nearly crushed the Asuka earlier. She turned away from them and faced the two Eliksni who were not doubt communicating with Parsix, and sighed before moving over to stand with them. Both Vandals turned to the woman and snapped to attention rapidly, their chatter ceasing.

"Inform Parsix of our location, and keep the Ketch under cloak. Any arrivals of departures from the surface to the ship shall be done in Skiffs of shuttles. Got it?" She noticed the way that the two Vandals seemed reluctant to follow her orders, and couldn't help the annoyed sigh. "Look, the war is over. Skolas is defeated and I am a part of this new combination of houses. With all of that being said, Skolas couldn't lay a finger on me, and I don't even need to touch you to rip your arms off. So I will not be repeating myself; because while Natsu may be a fresh Kell, I am not, and I will not hesitate to tear your arms out and cast you as eternal Dregs. Understood?" Both Vandals nodded immediately and began to relay the information in to their helmets. Mara nodded to herself and walked over to stand with Amanda, who had taken her place at Natsu's side.

"-and that's the first time that I ever got to go in to space. Man I thought trains were bad..." Natsu felt his face go slightly clammy at the motion sickness he used to suffer from. He swallowed thickly and turned his attention back to Makarov and Gray, who was busy glaring at the pink haired man. "But I guess it wasn't too-"

"How'd you get over it?" The question fired from the ice mage's mouth, catching Natsu slightly off guard.

"Huh?"

"Your motion sickness? Flame brain was a total wuss when it came to transportation, and now you say you're him, but that's no longer an issue. So how?"

"Well..." Natsu paused for a moment before holding his hand out and Specter appeared in his palm in a glitter of light. The small machine just let it's yellow eye dart from person to person before focusing on Natsu once more. "I guess I have this little guy to thank for it."

"You're telling me this floating hunk of scrap," Gray smacked Natsu's outstretched hand, causing the Ghost to come from his palm with an agitated chirp. "Caused you to no longer be motion sick. I call bullshit."

"Gray!" Makarov snapped. Gray turned an angry glare to the elder man.

"What? Maybe you're ready to believe that this guy is Natsu because you miss him so badly, and he handled Erza and Mira so easily, but I'm not in the same boat. How can we confirm any of this? How do we know he's not just pulling this out of his ass?"

"It didn't just cause me to no longer have motion sickness." Natsu interrupted the ice mage's rant. "It also brought me back from the dead."

"You see?!" Gray screamed in rage at Makarov while pointing at the guardian. "That! Right there! You can't just bring someone back from the dead. That isn't possible!"

"It is." Specter chimed in, voice reverberating calmly amongst the group. Gray turned to face the machine once more, an angry scowl on his face. "That is possible, and so much more, when one can harness the power of Light correctly."

"Oh yeah? Like what? Can you show me the future?"

"Perhaps not. But can you?" The Ghost countered calmly.

"Not me," Gray spoke before gesturing a hand towards the bikini clad woman, who still had a mug of beer in her hand. "But Cana has the best foresight of anybody in the guild!"

"Isn't it like ten in the morning?" Amanda whispered to Mara, who only nodded as they watched the bikini clad woman tip her mug back and down the full pint of beer in one swig. Mara gasped in surprise while Amanda let out a low whistle. "Damn. I don't even think my mom could put 'em back that fast."

"That's 'cause I'm one of a kind!" The bikini woman spoke, her purple eyes focusing on the two women. "Name's Cana. Now, where can I get an outfit like that?" The woman motioned to the environmental suits that Mara and Amanda were wearing, causing both women to look down at their outfits in confusion.

"Do they not have environmental suits here?" Mara questioned, raising a brow in surprise when Cana shook her head. "Why not? What about bacteria and contaminants? What about radiation?"

"What are most of those things?" The brown haired woman asked in a dull voice. "Whatever! Gray, you dumbass. My foresight is not a 'peek in to the future' as you and those idiot friends of yours like to call it. It is merely a feel of what could most likely happen."

"Like a scenario generator?" Cana had to back up when the small machine was suddenly in her personal space, it's yellow gaze staring at her in interest.

"I guess?" The brunette replied, slightly unsure of what the machine was talking about.

"Fascinating. I too have a scenario generator, and I am proud to state that it boasts a 93.6582 percent accuracy."

"Cool..." Cana finished weakly, patting the small machine before turning back to Gray. "What is this thing again?"

"I am a Ghost!" The machine chirped happily before Gray could speak. "Well, not in the supernatural sense. I am a Ghost in that it is what my race is called for what we are and what we can do. Most specifically, I am Natsu's Ghost."

"And what is your... race?" Everyone turned to see Erza, having recovered from her conversation with Mara, staring at the little machine. The Ghost regarded her for a moment before half of it began to spin and it let out a low whir.

"I am unsure. If there was an apt description for what I, and others like me can be called, it would be remnants of a dead alien. We were deployed when our host died in order to find great warriors to protect the body of said host." The Ghost finished. Everyone could only stare in question at the strange machine for a moment before Erza spoke once more.

"And you just happened to pick Natsu? Was there nobody else on your list? Did they not have recruitment trials?"

"Doesn't work like that." Natsu interrupted. All eyes turned to the man, and the silence was the signal he needed to continue. "Each Ghost is repsonsible to find one person, only one, on the entire planet. Specter here was deployed to find me."

"Good timing." Cana finished weakly. Natsu merely shook his head. "What? He was deployed to find you, and you showed up and he found you. How is that not good timing?"

"Because I looked for Natsu for nearly three centuries before stumbling upon him. I remember the day fondly, don't you Natsu?"

"Not really." The man grumbled at the Ghost continued to ramble.

"Yes it was quite a sight. The frozen Russian forests were always so quiet. So lonely. I recall the snow that covered everything, at least a foot of it."

"Let me guess." Mira chimed in, a smirk on her face. "All was quiet until you ran in to some flaming idiot burning down the forest for fun?"

"Not at all!" The Ghost chirped. "It was even better. I remember entering the clearing that he was in, and seeing the Titan, Dan. Records state that he was a very good warrior. One of Kabr's chosen. And then I found that headless corpse. I couldn't even begin to describe my joy."

"What?" Mira asked weakly. The Ghost turned to her, but Natsu cut it off.

"Part of a Ghost picking a guardian, is that the guardian must be dead."

"Correct!" Specter beeped happily. "Oh it was such a glorious day to find your headless corpse in that forest. Truly a great day."

"So that means..." Erza pointed a weak finger at Natsu, who adjusted the collar on his armour to show the thin scar across his neck, and realization struck everyone.

"Yup. I died in that clearing about three months earlier. Eliksni ambush." Natsu turned to the now chirping Eliksni next to him. "Not you guys. This seemed like work from the Kings or Devils. Specter found my body, and then I was alive once more. Been working to get back here ever since." Natsu finished calmly, noting the apprehensive looks on everyone's faces.

"Bullshit." Gray protested weakly before walking over to Natsu. "I don't believe a word you're saying, and unless you have a way to show me-"

"Hey what's that behind you?" Natsu yelled and pointed behind the ice mage. Gray frowned and turned around, only to scream when he felt a burning hand clamp at the base of his neck. "Sorry about that. Not really. But I needed to just shut you up and show you."

And he did.

Everyone watched as tendrils of light crept from Natsu's wrist and in to the base of Gray's skull for nearly a minute before Erza spoke up.

"Should we stop him?"

"I wouldn't." Mara corrected her. "I'm not sure what happens of you break the connection. Could do nothing, or it could rip the man's mind from his body. Relax though, Natsu's done this with me and Amanda a few times. He's just showing him some stuff, and then they'll be right back good as new."

"I guess..." Erza finished weakly as everyone watched as Gray stopped screaming and went silent, the only sounds in front of the guild being the morning birds and the man's ragged breathing. After several more moments, Natsu released Gray, the ice mage falling to his knees and panting as he tried to sort his mind.

"Happy now?" Natsu asked the kneeling man. Gray looked up at him and nodded slowly, still trying to catch his breath. "Good. Now I'd love to stay and chat, but I have some business to take care of."

"What kind of business, my boy?" Makarov questioned, one furry eyebrow raised in confusion. Natsu chuckled before looking at the short man.

"Nothing bad. I should only be gone for a few more hours, but I need to ask you a serious question."

"Anything." Makarov exclaimed proudly.

"Where is the royal family, and do you have a map that I can have?"

"Well..." Makarov tapped his chin in thought. "I believe the royal family lives in Crocus, and as to the map, I can give you the most recent map of the nation I have. Do you want a world map as well?" Makarov began to walk in to the guild.

"Nah." Natsu followed behind the man. "I got the world map on my way in. I just need to start some meetings and get some stuff worked out."

"You sound like you're going to make a lot of noise."

"Good noise, I can assure you." Natsu chuckled as the doors shut behind him. Everyone could only stare at the door for several minutes before the two emerged once more.

"Good luck, my boy." Makarov drew the guardian in for another hug. "I have to get on the lacrima and let some people know that you're back. I can think of a couple that are going to be very excited to see you still alive."

"Of course. We'll sit down and have drinks when I finish here. Should only be a few hours like I said." Natsu chuckled as he stepped to the edge of the pier. He turned to face Amanda and Mara. "I want you two to stay here at the guild while I'm doing this. Get familiar with everyone, and try to be nice." Natsu didn't specify that it was meant for Amanda, but his gaze on her made the blonde chuckle weakly.

"Right. I'm just going to order some clothes from my ship." Mara spoke and turned to Amanda. "You want some too?"

"Yeah." Amanda spoke with a sigh. "See if they can throw in a tool kit too. I'm bored and my leg is a bit stiff."

"Will do." Mara spoke as she relayed the intel in to her comms. After a moment, she nodded to Amanda and both women turned to face Natsu, who had finished his own call and looked to the two women. They could vaguely hear his ship in the distance as it punched in to the atmosphere, the sound like rolling thunder as it grew closer. Both women gave the man a kiss on his cheek before he gave them a sly grin and pulled his helmet on. Everyone could only watch in shock as Natsu's ship came roaring by, with the man disappearing in to particles of light right as it approached before it turned in the air and shot towards Crocus.

"What the hell was that thing?!" Mira roared as the sound of the ship slowly faded away.

"Kestrel class four jumpship. Kabr's Epilogue." Amanda replied, as if in she had recited it a thousand times.

"And you all came here in that?" Erza asked. Mara shook her head.

"No. We came in something much bigger, and we brought three of them."

"How much bigger?" Cana asked the duo. Amanda turned to her and smirked.

"One of the three is big enough to hold about three hundred of those ships. Easily."

"What did you guys bring an army with you?" Makarov joked, but felt his smile slip when Mara gave him a feral smile that all too easily reminded him of Natsu.

"No. We brought two."

* * *

"So you said this was the place, right Lisanna?" The high pitched voice could be heard across the platform as the duo exited the train compartment.

"Yeah Happy." Spoke a woman with light gray hair. Her legs were covered in dark blue cargo pants, tucked neatly over a pair of combat boots. Her top was a closed black canvas jacket, opened slightly to reveal the deep red shirt beneath it. "This is where they said that 'Salamander' was last spotted. Doesn't make much sense for him to go missing from Hargeon, and suddenly be in Hargeon..." Lisanna grumbled to herself as she patted the blue Exceed that landed on her head.

"I hope we find him. I know they all said he was dead, but-"

"They never found a body, Happy." Lisanna corrected her 'son'. "You can't declare someone dead unless you have a body."

"Aye! That, and I know he isn't dead. I can feel it."

"Me too, Happy. Me too." Lisanna's response was rightly tired. She had spent nearly every moment in the last four years since Natsu's disappearance searching for her friend. The fact that they hadn't found a body was all the inspiration that Lisanna needed. She trained, and fought, and tracked every lead she could find that even slightly resembled Natsu. None of them had panned out so far, but a recent rumor had come in about someone using the moniker of 'Salamander' and claiming to be a mage of Fairy Tail. Natsu hated the moniker that he had been given, but perhaps time had changed that. She sighed as she stepped off the platform, shielding her eyes from the morning sun as she made her way in to the market. She would find him.

She just had to have hope.

* * *

Lucy Heartfilia felt her mouth run dry as she took in the appearance of the well groomed mage known as Salamander. His deep blue hair was expertly styled, not too messy to look scruffy, but not too neat and clean either. His jaw was sharp and his eyes spoke of a clever mind. He had an 'X' tatooed over his eyebrow, or perhaps it was a scar. Whatever it was, Lucy didn't care. His black and gold cloak draped over his firm shoulders, as well as his gold ring and bracelets, gave him a very regal appearance. She could see why this man was so sought after.

The rumors did him no justice.

"Yes ladies, it is I, the Salamander. I had to leave the public eye for a while, a dangerous job that I had to complete in secret, but now I'm back!" The man's voice was husky as he regarded every female. His eyes met with Lucy's, and she felt her breathing return to her, accompanied by butterflies in her stomach. She felt like this man perfectly described love at first sight. She was about to speak once more, when a loud snort caught her attention, as well as everyone elses. All eyes turned to see an ash haired woman, no older than Lucy, staring boredly at the group.

"I may be in the wrong place. I was told that I could find Salamander here. Guess I was wrong." The woman sighed, and moved to turn away from the group, but found herself blocked off by the man himself. He knelt aganist the wall next to her, slowly drawing a cigarette from his front pocket and lighting it with a small fire spell before taking a puff.

"My dear, you did not hear incorrectly. I am Salamander. Am I to assume that you're one of my many fans?" He gave her a charming smile, ignoring the jealous protests of the women behind him as he stared at the grey haired beauty. She looked quite a bit like Mirajane Strauss, if only a bit slimmer. The ashen haired girl looked at the man for a moment before turning away.

"You aren't him. Man, Happy, we wasted our time again."

"There's always next time!" The blue feline said from next to her feet. The woman nodded and picked up the cat before setting him on her shoulders, enjoying the way the feline nuzzled in to her hair and purred lightly. She was about to continue on when the man appeared to be blocking her once more.

"I don't know what you heard, my dear, but I AM the Salamander of Fairy Tail!"

The ash haired woman grew quiet at the man's repeated claim before slowly stepping forward, a sweet smile on her face. "Oh my, perhaps I was mistaken. I think I know who you are now!"

"Excellent!" The man cheered, only to gasp in fright when a hand wrapped around his neck and slammed him in to the wall behind him. He tried to struggle for a moment before a gentle hand stroked his face. His gaze followed the hand down as it traced over his brow, down the bridge of his nose, and gently pulled the cigarette from his lips. He watched in stunned silence as the woman slowly pulled his cigarette to her lips and took a slow drag, exhaling the cloud of smoke in his face.

"Yeah, I recognize you now." She spoke in a quiet whisper, the tone almost seductive to him. "You're that corpse they're going to find tomorrow if you keep calling yourself the Salamander and lying about being a Fairy Tail mage. Got it?" She hissed in to his ear lowly, getting a frightened nod in response. The woman nodded and held up the cigarette in front of the man once more. "So you don't ever forget." She spoke as she pressed the burning end in to the man's forehead between his brows and twisting the stick painfully. The man whined painfully as the woman snuffed the cigarette out on his face before she threw him back to his gaggle of harpies and began to walk away.

She was stopped when a hand grabbed her by the wrist.

She turned, fully ready to beat a fan girl in to the dirt, only to stare at the grateful brown gaze of a blonde woman. Lisanna shook her arm out of the woman's grasp.

"Thank you?"

"Eh?" Lisanna grumbled, clearly confused. The woman straightened her posture and bowed lightly.

"I said thank you. I think that man has some sort of charm magic, you showing up seems to have broken it."

"Don't mention it." Lisanna huffed. "Look, it's been nice talking, but I gotta catch the train to Magnolia. Wasted my the last of my cash for that ticket. Man, now I need to grab another job. Mira's never gonna let me hear the end of this." The white haired woman grumbled to herself.

"How about I buy your ticket?" The blonde interrupted Lisanna's thoughts. The ash haired woman turned to the blonde, before latching a hand out and grabbing the woman by the wrist.

"Too late to back out, Boobs! Let's go!" The woman cried as she dragged the screaming blonde towards the train station.

* * *

"What a day." Lucy moaned as she sat on the bridge overlooking the docks of Hargeon. "First I meet that jerk, and then comp my savior for a train ride back to her home, and she doesn't even give a thank you. And that cat calls me fat! I'm never going to be a Fairy Tail mage..." Lucy gently pinched her belly. "And I'm not fat! I'm curvy in all the best ways." The blonde reassured herself, doing her best to ignore the shopkeeper from earlier.

"And I'd have to agree." Came the familiar smooth voice that Lucy had heard earlier that day. She turned to greet the blue haired man from earlier, now sporting a small bandage between his eyes.

"And what do you want?"

"I heard you wanted to be a mage of Fairy Tail. I can help you do that."

"And why should I believe you? You used your charm magic on those girls!"

"A test. I use a small charm, and any mage that can break through it gets my personal invitation to Fairy Tail."

"I still don't know..." Lucy replied, unsure on trusting the man. His words made some sort of sense, but she couldn't shake the slimy feeling in her gut when she talked to him now. The man slid right up to her and draped his arm over her shoulder, his sickly sweet smile creeping her out.

"Let me invite you to dinner on my yacht, and we can talk about everything there. You look famished, and I hate seeing a hungry woman. Whaddya say we go talk about your bright future as a Fairy Tail mage?" He seperated from the blonde and held a hand out to her. Lucy took several seconds to think about it.

She placed her hand in his with a small smile, and the two were off towards his ship.

* * *

So I thought I should get something out to you guys, given that it's, again, been a month. I have a good reason this time!

I left out of town for two weeks for a family thing right after I posted that chapter.

I got back and had a week to sit down and do some writing, but I had writer's block. For a week.

Then my appendix decided to rupture and I almost died. Spent three days thinking I was just constipated. It ruptured in the hospital's emergency room waiting room. (PS If you're a male nurse named Clint, fuck you for the way you treated my girlfriend that day.) And I had to get emergency surgery. I have spent the last few days high off my ass, barely able to work a zipper, let alone a computer. Today I had a clear head, and even though I'm sore as all hell, I wanted to get something out.

So if this feels like it was typed in a day, it pretty much was. I had something else typed up, but it was about 15k words of dragging ass and bad writing. My pride would not let me publish that. So I figured, I'll give you a shorter chapter with a lot of potential for encounters and content.

Anyway, let me know what you think, and I'll do my best to type more up in my recovery.

ALSO! I've decided my next one shot will be about Cana. There's that.

Anyway, read and review, and I'll see you all later.

Hope you enjoy,

Temper


	21. Chapter 21

Light

Chapter 21

* * *

Natsu could only stare at the city of Crocus in slight awe from several thousand feet above, his ship circling over as he tried his best to figure out how to approach a conversation with the king. From what Makarov had told him, King Toma E. Fiore was a very fair and kind man who was willing to hear out his people. Natsu felt somewhat relieved at that, but also couldn't contain his worry as the thought of him just landing a ship in the man's garden would likely not be well recieved. Natsu's thoughts were interrupted when a light on his panel began to blink, signifying that he was recieveing a communication. He pressed several buttons on the tablet and Amanda's scowling face appeared on his screen.

"Hello beautiful." Natsu complimented her, hoping to diffuse any of her angeer before she could unleash it upon him. It seemed to work slightly as the blonde woman's lips quirked at each edge, and a small blush appeared on her face.

"Shut up. You know I didn't really mind it when you left us here to take care of business, but you could've warned us that every man here was a pervert!" The blonde practically yelled. Natsu winced for a moment before responding.

"Sorry about that. I kinda forgot. Who's the main cause of it?"

"The old dwarf and the coat wearing douche and the guy with the pipe." Amanda replied, her scowl deepening as she looked at something off screen. "Mara, put him down!"

Natsu smiled as he heard his other girlfriend off screen saying something that he couldn't hear, and then seeing a person in a familiar white coat flying by behind Amanda before crashing in to something else off screen. Natsu began to chuckle when he heard several voices yelling before a brawl erupted in the background. Amanda sighed before looking back at the screen.

"Why'd you have to leave me here?"

"I want you to get used to my family." Natsu replied with a smirk. Amanda huffed.

"Oh? And what are you doing? Just going for a cruise?"

"Actually I'm trying my best to figure out how I'm going to land my ship in the middle of the most crowded city in the nation without causing alarm." Natsu corrected. Amanda scoffed.

"Just push the yellow button three down from auto pilot and you'll activate your cloak."

"That was my Vanguard emergency beacon, and when did I get a cloak for my ship?"

"I had a lot of free time since I retired from the Vanguard. Anyway, the yellow button now activates a cloak I made based off of the ones the Eliksni use on their ships. Once you press it, you have ten minutes before it has to cool down, so get your business done quickly." The woman warned. Natsu nodded with a smile on his face.

"I love you, you know that?"

"I do. Now hurry up and finish that up and get your ass back here. I still haven't showered and I'm tired." The blonde grumbled before the screen went dark. Natsu sighed and shook his head, a small smile on his face as he pressed the cloaking button and steered towards the large castle in the middle of the city.

* * *

King Toma E. Fiore considered himself to be a kind man, and a just king. He held his kingdom higher than himself, showing them greater care or love than he himself had received growing up. His father had been a paranoid man, often locking himself away in his own fear of demons and ghosts, and leaving Toma's mother to raise him. Under her cold but watchful gaze, he grew to understand the finer points of ruling. At the age of 20, he had successfully quelled a coup by the farmers of Fiore, establing a stable union that thrived to this very day, without ever needing to raise a sword or order a death. At age 25, he negotiated a steady truce between his father's kingdom and the nation of Seven, opening the borders to trade that hadn't been seen in centuries. At age 28, Tome E. Fiore killed his own father.

The kindly man hadn't awoken that day with the intent of death, but when he had arrived for supper to find his father hunched over his mother, eyes mad and hands bloody, Prince Toma had lost his well tempered control. In a blind rage, the Prince had killed the king who dared to harm his mother. His mother had survived, though to say she was the same afterwards would be a bold faced lie. She had been rendered mute, and it was arguable if she were deaf or not.

The best doctors and physicians said it was a form of brain damage. It was an ailment with no cure, and Toma had to spend the next five years as his mother's caretaker. The royal court insisted that they had people specially trained for taking care of such a scenario, but the man had adopted his own paranoia. For over half a decade Toma took care of his mother, only turning to the staff to assist take his mother to be bathed and clothed. He would sit with her during dinner, gently feeding her and speaking of his day, and she would always have a gentle smile on her face as he spoke to her. She would always be wearing a necklace that he had gotten her, a gift from the royal family of Seven, and during his stories she would hold it between her fingertips and trace every fine detail. The stone was green, the people of Seven had dubbed it as jade, and it had been carved in to an elegant hummingbird. Toma would learn years later from traders in Pergrande called the green stone Hisui.

At age 33, Toma E. Fiore became the king with his mother's passing. There was no joy when Toma took the crown, and for many years Toma turned his attention to his kingdom in quelling riots and reforming his nation from the ground up. His first decree had been the declaration the the Kingdom of Fiore would take a stance of nuetrality among the world politics. The stance proved favorable as it allowed for trade with nations that otherwise wouldn't have allowed trade. Enemy nation would exchange goods through Fiore, having their own embargos against each other.

One such example was the nations of Bosco and Seven.

The two nations seemed to be in constant struggle over resources and prices, and rather then attempt to negotiate with each other, the two seemed happy to use Fiore as a middle man of sorts. Trades were never directly done with on another, though the two seemed to deal with each other on a regular basis once they sold or purchased the goods from the markets of Fiore. While the prift Fiore made off of the goods was only slightly higher than the product's original cost, when items are bought in the thousands or even millions, the small amounts easily become more than many can fathom. King Toma prided himself on the small steps that he took early on to insure that his kingdom could flourish. Small steps like funding a young man and his beautiful wife, who would later go on to establish one of the largest business conglomerates that the world had ever seen.

Toma hummed to himself as he wondered briefly how the Heartfilia family was doing. He sighed as he had heard of the young woman's death nearly a decade ago, and could only hope that Jude had taken good care of little Lucy. Last the man had seen her, she was hiding behind her mother's leg, peering shyly at the king. Toma smiled as it reminded him of his own daughter.

He had met the love of his life at age 40, quickly falling for the kindly duchess from the Pergrande royal family. Her name had been Yasmin, and she could be as sweet as honey, or as mean as a bear. She stood nearly two feet taller than the King, and nearly a decade younger, but her care for the man was startling. Toma often wondered if she was ordered to care for him as she did, as life with royalty was always a game of politics, or if she was just as taken with him as he was with her. He had decided very early on that he didn't care either way. Less than a year later they were married, and two years after that saw the birth of his daughter. One look at her green hair, and the man knew what his daughter was to be named.

Hisui E. Fiore was named after the thing her grandmother treasured before her death. Yasmin had been informed of the man's wish, and couldn't find it to deny her husband. Toma took to being a father better than any would have imagined considering his relationship with his father. Where Yasmin was strict, making sure her daughter was recieving the best education and protection that the royal family could provide, Toma was kind, teaching his daughter how to fish, despite his dislike of it, and sneaking cookies with her out of the kitchen. There were many days where the two would be seen sulking as Yasmin scolded the two, but the joy in her eyes belated her angered tone. The castle was graced with the sound of laughter and joy, something that the castle hadn't been graced with for decades, but tragedy seemed to follow Toma.

He had been overjoyed when his beautiful wife became pregnant once more, even more so when the doctors had informed him that he was to have a son. Hisui was ecstatic to find herself soon to become a big sister, and Yasmin was always seen with a smile on her face, even with swollen feet and a huge belly. It wasn't until eight months in when the first signs of issue occured. Yasmin had noticed herself becoming light headed, and her appetite had nearly vanished. The doctors had assured her that it was normal for an expecting mother, but when a royal aide discovered the queen collapsed in her study with blood pouring from her mouth, those same doctors were quick to try and pardon themselves. Everything imaginable was done to keep the Queen healthy, but it all seemed for naught. In the span of a week, the king went from married and expecting another child, to a widower and father of a deceased son.

Nobody held it against him when those same doctors who assured him nothing was wrong were brought to the axe.

Toma sat back on his bench with a deep sigh, still doing his best to come to terms with his life. He had done a great many things for his kingdom, and even more for his daughter. He was saddened that she had grown distant after her mother's passing. What hurt him more is that he allowed it to happen, and even now did very little to attempt to bridge the gap between the two. He resigned himself to attempting to do so, at least while he still had time.

the King was shaken from his musings when a violent wind seemed to envelope the garden, accompanied by a high pitch whirring sound. It continued for several seconds before seeming to die off, silence once again resuming as Toma watched the gardeners and staff running about to clean up any knocked over furniture or tend to the startled animals. The man took a deep breath as calm seemed to once again ensue, the sense of peace once more settling over the garden. Toma slowly raised a hand to his temple, massaging it gently when his head began to throb.

"You look like something is ailing you."

Toma's eyes shot up to see a large man with pink hair and wearing strange armour leaning against a tree across from him. Toma rubbed his eyes for a moment, nearly positive that the man hadn't been there moments before. "I suppose I may be more ill than first thought." The King mumbled to himself. The pink haired man chuckled and strode towards the small King calmly. When he stood before the man, he spoke once more.

"Do you mind if I have a seat next to you? It is a lovely day and it has been some time since I saw a garden so beautiful."

"I suppose," The King scoot over on the bench, allowing the pink haired stranger to sit. "And I believe I should thank you for the compliment. My wife is the one who planted everything here. There are things that my mother and grandmother planted, I have no doubts of this, but my wife seemed to be the one who introduced so much colour to the garden."

"She sounds like a lovely woman." The pink haired man complimented. Toma nodded slowly and let out a slow sigh.

"She was."

"My apologies!" The man spoke quickly, gaze stuck to the ground. "I didn't know..."

"No need to worry, young man. She was the light of my life, and I have come to treasure every moment that we spent together before her passing." The king smiled at the pink haired stranger, both eyes closed so that the man wouldn't see his pain. While Toma had swallowed down his grief to run his kingdom, he wasn't sure he would ever truly get over his wife's death. "But enough about that! Mind telling me why you're trespassing on royal grounds?"

"Well..." The pink haired man stared off to the side for a moment. "Who's to say I wasn't invited?"

"I would have remembered recieving and greeting someone as strangely dressed as yourself!" The small man laughed. The pink haired man had the decency to look shocked.

"You're..."

"Toma E. Fiore, current King of Fiore. Who might you be, young trespasser?" The king laughed jovially at the pink haired man's expression.

"My name is Natsu Dragneel, Kell of the House of Wolves. I was hoping to meet with you, but perhaps in a more professional setting." The man chuckled sheepishly, rubbing his head. Toma could only scoff at the man.

"And breaking in would allow that to happen?"

"Well no, but what I have to show you may convince you to hear me out." The man pouted, much to Toma's amusement.

"And what, pray tell, would you have to show me? Why should we even be speaking, not that I don't mind."

"Well as I said, I am the Kell of the House of Wolves. That sort of makes me their king. I was hoping to speak with you, and show you what I have to offer, in hopes of gaining an alliance and allowing my people to travel freely in your nation."

"My boy," The King spoke lowly, catching the pink haired man's attention. "I have heard a great many people plea for something similar, and not one has ever been able to provide me ample reason to allow them to do so. What makes you think that you are any different?"

"I have technology. I have the technology to make every doctor and medicine man on this planet seem like a common fool. I have the technology to travel the world in less than ten minutes. I assure you, I have something that nobody else has ever had." The man spoke to the King. Toma paused for a moment, allowing himself to imagine how such technology could suddenly exist. He turned to the strange man.

"Show me."

"As you wish." The pink haired man smiled and stood from the bench, gesturing the king to follow. The small man did so, following slowly behind the man and whistling a happy tune. He missed the way that the strange man's ears perked, and the way his nose twitched, and the two continued to walk deeper in to the garden.

"Getting in here wasn't that hard." The pink haired man started. "The problem was getting in unseen. Nobody knows what I used to get in, it's never been seen before so nobody knows how to identify the sound of it." The man spoke as he moved tree branches out of his way. Toma merely grunted and continued to follow, his whistling ceasing only to allow the man to catch his breath. After several more minutes of walking, the two happened across the strangest thing that Toma had ever seen. It stood twenty feet tall, and shone like brushed gold. Two huge boxes sat on either side of some sort of pod. The pink haired man walked up to the strange device and pat it a couple times.

"What is this thing?" The King asked. Natsu grinned in pride as he gazed upon the vessel.

"This is Kabr's Epilogue. This is a ship capable of going anywhere, even the stars, and is one of the many pieces of technology I was telling you about."

"This thing is a ship?" The King scoffed. "It looks more like one of my grandmother's statues. You're telling me that this hunk of metal can go anywhere, that it can fly?"

"Easily." The pink haired man grinned. Toma stared at the youth for a moment before turning around.

"You had me going for a moment, boy, but I'm afraid that I'm in no mood for games right now. My security will escort you off of the premises." The king raised a hand over his shoulder, and nearly twenty men in full suits of armour walked out from the surrounding forests, swords drawn as they all focused on the pink haired man. Natsu blanched as he stared at the men.

"Nobody needs to get hurt, your Majesty. I merely need you to believe me for five minutes and let me show you what I can provide for your kingdom!" Natsu shouted after the man. Toma stopped and stood still for a moment before turning a glare on to the man.

"Why should I trust you?"

"I'm not asking you to trust me for nothing. Give me a chance to earn your trust so that I may show you that I am genuine."

"Fine. I'll give you one chance. Bora of the Prominence was spotted in Hargeon just this morning. The man is a know slave trader and kidnapper, and the magic councel has proven unable to catch him. If you can bring me Bora in the next ten hours, given that Hargeon is about seven hours away by train, then I will be willing to hear you out." Toma snapped his fingers, gesturing one of the knights to stand before him. The knight quickly drew out a flyer and handed it to the king, who walked over to the pink haired man and handed it to him. "The clock is ticking boy." The King spoke quietly before walking out of the clearing, the knights all returning to the forests around him. Natsu frowned as he took in the image of the man, as well as the image of his ship as well. Folding up the flyer and tucking it in beneath his chest plate, the man hopped in to his ship and quickly set his way for Hargeon.

Toma turned around as the giant vessel, the one he had assumed a gaudy statue, rose in to the air before shimmering out of existence. His garden was once more overtaken with extreme wind once again as the ship hummed quietly and shot back in to the sky. The small king could only readjust his clothing as he stared back in to the forest where the ship had been, and let out a small huff as he strode back towards the castle. He had given the man the order in hopes of driving away another mad man with delusions of grandeur, but from what he had just seen this man was something completely different. He would have to notify the guards to keep an eye out for a pink haired man dragging a prisoner with him. He'd also have to begin training his daughter in the delicate work of politics, Toma sighed as he thought of how much he'd have to teach her to do on her own, and how little time he had to teach her.

* * *

Natsu gave a rough sigh as he circled over the city of Hargeon, watching the port town thriving in the afternoon sunlight. Orange had begun to shade the sky, a signal of the beautiful colours that would be soon overtaking the night sky in vibrant reds and lavenders before sinking in to a blue before night finally claimed the sky. Natsu couldn't help but let his annoyance show on his face as he found a spot to land.

"There were rumors that your face will stick like that if you continue to make that face."

"Something you need, Specter?" Natsu ground out, refusing to look at the Ghost that was hovering over his console. He cursed himself for encouraging the little machine to develope it's personality.

"I was merely wondering how you planned to go about finding one man in a city of..." The Ghost turned to the port for a moment before turning back to the man. "63 thousand people, minus one."

"Minus one?" Natsu turned his gaze to the Ghost, who could only bob in the air in what he assumed was a shrug.

"Someone just died."

"Man that's dark." Natsu grumbled out. The Ghost just turned it's gaze back to the man, it's yellow eye doing nothing to unnerve him.

"Merely the truth. Humans live and humans die. I spent my entire existence waiting for you to die, mortality was something of a running joke between the unclaimed Ghosts. I thought you were going to live forever." The Ghost spoke in the most humorous tone that he had heard. Natsu just rolled his eyes as his ship landed in a clearing outside of the city. The guardian hopped out of his ship, the small Ghost floating behind him. "So do you have a plan?" The Ghost questioned once more.

"Well I do have a thought."

"Big surprise." The Ghost droned out. Natsu peered at the machine from the corner of his gaze.

"I haven't thrown you in a while..."

Natsu smirked at the silent machine and annoyed whirring behind him.

"My thought was that most slavers tend to run in the shadows, stealing what they can and running away as quickly as possible." Natsu pulled out the poster and unfolded it, the blue haired man's grinning face meeting his gaze. "But pretty boy here is different. Everything about him screams arrogance. He smiles like he knows something we don't, likely that he's paying off officials to let him get away. I think he's using his looks, and likely fraud, to lure women wherever he needs to in order to take them. If we're going to find this idiot, it's likely going to be somewhere that everyone can see him. He's a perfromer, an actor who sees himself as the hotest shit."

"And?" Specter asked.

"And we're going to stomp him out and drag him back to the King. Sooner we do that, sooner I can bring the Eliksni and Awoken down from orbit, and the sooner I can retire."

"Retire? You have the potential to force humans to evolve nearly a thousand years technologically, and you want to retire."

"Well I would do a few things first. I dunno, Specter, I'm still getting used to being home. I want to go fishing and nap in the forest. I missed my home." Natsu finished quietly. Specter merely whirred in response as the two neared the outskirts of the city.

"I suppose that jump starting humanity can wait. You have a lot of time, after all." Specter murmured. Natsu nodded as the two passed by a house, Natsu quickly grabbing a dark brown blanket from a clothesline before draping it over himself and pinning it closed, the blanket now acting like a cloak for the man. Natsu turned to the Ghost and gave it a bright smile.

"You like?"

"You look homeless."

"That's the point. This guy would spot the strange man in armour and would be put on edge instantly. We need this guy calm so he can lead us wherever we need to go."

"Even if he ends up taking more people? It IS his business after all." The Ghost inquired. Natsu let out a small sigh.

"I know. I don't want to let this bastard do anything, but it's likely that he's got a whole racket going on. Why else would a slaver pick a port town if he didn't have a ship? And what does a ship need?"

"A crew." The Ghost spoke in realization. Natsu nodded as the two continued in to the town.

"Exactly. Chances are, we catch this guy and his crew has someone on reserve that can take his place. Only way to stop this is to take them all out at once. There's no need to worry about people being taken either, as we're going to bust these guys and evacuate any hostages." Natsu smashed his fist in to his palm, a feral grin on his face.

"What about the prisoners? I'm assuming you're ship can't hold more than three people, max."

"I'll call in a shuttle or two. I own a fleet, so why not start using it?" Natsu shrugged. Specter merely whirred quietly for a moment before disappearing in to the man's pack, the two having started to see residents milling around as they neared the town's center. Natsu walked through several streetside markets, the vendors calling their wares out and doing their best to peddle their merchandise to passers. Natsu was thankful that in this crowd he seemed to be invisible, most just seeing the man as another wandering vagrant. Natsu did his best to act the part, occasionally bumping in to people and stumbling. He smirked internally as a shop keeper chased him away from his shop with a broom. He continued his act as he wandered the streets before a loud group of girls caught his attention.

"Come on! Salamander is in town!" A brunette woman said to her blonde friend, the two hurrying down a street towards what Natsu assumed was the center of town. Natsu quietly followed behind them, doing his best to remain unseen despite the large crowds around him.

"Wait, you mean THE Salamander? The Fairy Tail mage?" Natsu had to pause at the woman's question. Had he been made? He shook his head. It wasn't possible for them to know about his existence yet, he hadn't even been back a day. He kept close to the women while they quickly turned down another street.

"Yes, that Salamander. From what Debby told me, he was away on some super secret mission. He's back now and announced a huge party at the docks!" The brunette exclaimed. The blonde seemed to have caught some of her excitement as the two picked up their pace, Natsu struggling to keep up with them without being noticed. He was about to pick up to follow them, but found himself blocked by an especially thick grouping of people in the crowd. The man had his progress halted, but didn't fret too badly about it. He knew where to go, even if he couldn't be a hundred percent sure, but it seemed as if someone had adopted his identity.

Natsu couldn't have that at all.

"Doesn't anyone have respect for the dead?" The man grumbled to himself as he headed towards the dock, the setting sun now giving way to the dark blue sky that slowly grew darker as the night crawled on.

* * *

"So tell me what it's like to be a member of Fairy Tail." Lucy exclaimed as she sat in front of Salamander, adjusting her evening gown a bit. The man had been kind enough to allow her to change in to a gown better fitting the event's dress code. She felt stuffy and uncomfortable, but her time with her father had done her well in masking her true feelings. The man across from her seemed to be incredibly invested in her, even going as far as to invite her to his cabin for a private meal. Lucy had done her best to act grateful when the man kissed her hand and pulled her seat out for her. The man had taken to serving her the best food he had, and poured her a glass of wine though she didn't drink very often, tonight she felt she may need the encouragement that the drink could offer her. The blue haired man next to her seemed to pause in his meal for a moment before offering her his best dashing smile, which only mad eher skin crawl mildly.

"Ah yes, Fairy Tail. Well... we're a strong guild, the best in the country." The man seemed to draw in on himself in thought.

"And do you know Mirajane, or Erza?" Lucy asked, doing her best to contain her eagerness. The man nodded and gave a loud laugh.

"Of course, but only the strongest get to deal with them. They ARE S-class after all, and don't like having their time wasted by common weaklings." The man finished. Lucy let her frown show for just a moment, but it seemed long enough for the man to catch as he quickly corrected himself. "But I could alwys put in a good word for you if you pass the initiation." The man finished with a lewd smirk. Lucy shuddered before drinking the rest of her glass and looking once more at the man.

"On second thought, I believe my coming here was a mistake. There must surely be another way to join Fairy Tail. If you could please take me back to the port." Lucy spoke calmly as she stood. The blue haired man just smirked for a moment.

"Sorry gorgeous, but that ain't gonna happen." He stood slowly from his seat. Lucy backed up several steps before bringing her leg up to kick the man in the groin. The man groaned as he slumped over, and Lucy used the opportunity to run to the door, though she found her vision staring to blur. She opened the door just in time to see the crew of the ship hauling the unconscious women below deck. She was about to run again when a hand caught her wrist and dragged her back in to the cabin. She was turned, and was able to make out the form of the grinning man before her vision went completely dark.

* * *

"Good haul this week, boys!" Bora called out to his crew, who all gave a loud cheer in response. Bora stood tall as he walked towards the wheel of his ship, relieving the crewman of control as he took over. "With all of this, we should be set for the next two years!" More cheers once again greeted him. He was about to give his, in his own humble opinion, well deserved victory speech, when a slow clapping erupted from behind him. Bora turned around slowly, expecting whatever would be on his ship this far out from port would be somewhat scary, but was disappointed to see a large man wrapped up in a brown cloak. The night sky hid most of his figure, though Bora was able to make out a tuft of pink hair when the breeze ruffled the man's cloak.

"Good speech, but you shouldn't lie to your men like that." The figure spoke smoothly as he stood before the man, his posture nonchalant.

"Oh? And do tell where I spoke anything but the truth." Bora spat at the man, already building his magic to deal with the stowaway. The stranger in front of him began to chuckle.

"The part where this would cover you for two years. It's going to feed and house you for much longer." The stranger trailed off happily. Bora relaxed his posture slightly and smiled at the man.

"And who might you be, a buyer perhaps? Normally we deliver the girls to Bosco for processing and sale, but if you'd like to make a deal now, then I'm listening." Bora crossed his arms. The stranger let out a loud laugh at the man, causing Bora to tense slightly. Something felt wrong.

"I'll be more than happy to make a deal with you." The man tossed his hood back revealing a full head of pink hair, tanned skin, and eyes that seemed too sharp to be anything but devious. "You surrender, along with your crew, and steer the ship back to port. Your men all get arrested and spend the next several decades in prison for multiple attempted kidnappings, and I drag you personally to the King."

"You're joking." Bora sneered. The pink haired man rolled his shoulder a few times and widened his stance.

"Do you see me laughing?" He questioned.

"No, but I'll be laughing when we toss your dumb ass overboard and watch you drown!" Bora sneered as he whipped his hands out beside him, a large magic circle appearing in front of the man and launching out deep purple flames. Bora watched with glee as the man was ungulfed, seemingly too shocked to dodge the flames before the struck him. He turned back to his crew to begin spewing orders for repair, when a deep chuckle sounded out from behind him. He turned in shock to see the man he had just attacked, standing in the same pose he had been prior to the attack, cloak burned away and revealing the strange armour underneath.

"That was a bad idea." The man spoke as he craned his neck, several loud pops sounding out over the flames around him. "But you'll have plenty of time to regret it later."

"What the-" Bora didn't get to finish his statement as a fist implanted itself in to his gut and launched him from the stern of the ship to the bow before the man was stopped by a stack of crates. He moaned weakly from the pile as his men began to shuffle around to form some sort of defense against the strange attack. All eyes turned to see the armoured man casually walking out of the wrecked upper deck of the ship. He hopped down and grunted slightly when he landed nearly ten feet lower on the main deck, his arms held out to his sides as he stood straight up.

"And he sticks the landing." He mumbled to himself before a loud groan broke his thoughts. He turned to Bora and couldn't help but mumble. "Well one of us did anyway." He turned his attention to the rest of the crew. "Surrender calmly and quietly, and I won't see how well any of you swim with broken legs!" He called across the deck. Several of the men seemed pensive at the ease of which the man stood, but the weak voice of their captain broke them from their courage.

"Kill him... You idiots..." The man groaned before slumping over. One man seemed to want to be the one to lead the charge, as he ran at the armoured man with a bellow. The pink haired man merely sighed before stepping in to the man's guard when he reached him and hitting an open palm to his gut. The man's breath was forced from his lungs before he was thrown across the deck, landing roughly on the staircase leading towards the upper deck. He groaned as he tried to right himself, only to feel a boot on his chest. He looked up to see the pink haired man standing with one foot on his chest, pushing him back down against the stairs. The man followed the motion and lie back helplessly against the stairs while the pink haired man took his time to speak.

"Do you know what the hardest bone in your body is? Don't answer, I'll tell you right now that it is your femur." He pointed to the bone connecting his hip to his knee. "It is strong enough, that when fully developed, can be as strong as a steel beam. However if the femur is broken, it takes about a year to heal, and my oh my what a year it will be. You will feel pain for every waking moment as the bone is healed. Apparently the pain is worse than childbirth." The man finished as he looked to all of the surrounding crew. "Now you may wonder why I gave you that bit of trivia... Well the answer is simple." With that, he brought his foot down on the man's thigh as hard as he could, wincing when he felt the bone snap under his foot. The man let out a loud wail as his femur was snapped like a twig, the leg twisting oddly to the side as the man cried out in agony. The pink haired man merely paused for a moment while he waited for the man to silence as he blacked out, which happened mercifully fast. "THAT was to show you what I will do to you, however unlike this man, I will personally throw you all in to the ocean and watch you sink under as the bubbles stop!" The armoured man growled out. "With all of that being said, one more time, surrender calmly and quietly. Get down on your knees and put your hands behind your head. One of you moves, and all of you suffer. Got it?"

"Yes!" The crew seemed to bellow fearfully, sinking to their knees as quickly as they could and placing their hands behind their heads. Natsu nodded as he pressed several buttons on his wrist before several loud noises echoed across the sky. The fearful crew turned enough to see several ships like they'd never seen before fly down and hover next to the ship. The rears of the vessels opened up, and several more armoured people came filing out and stood in front of the man. They all gave a crisp salute, which the man returned.

"Take these men and restrain them. We will be taking them with us to the palace." He nodded to the man with the broken leg on the staircase. "Get him medical treatment. I broke the bone cleanly, so it should be a quick fix in the medbay." One of the soldiers nodded and scooped up the man, not even flinching when he cried out in pain once more before slumping over again. Natsu pointd to several more troops. "There should be quite a few women below deck. Search it from top to bottom taking any prisoners that are hiding to the shuttle, and any women you find to a seperate shuttle. We'll take them just outside the city and see that they return home."

"Yes sir!" The group seemed to bellow as one before they moved about their orders. Natsu stood as the ship was emptied room by room; the women being placed on to a shuttle, many afraid when roused from their slumber, and the pirates were loaded on to a seperate shuttle. Natsu grinned as he saw the burly men walk on to the shuttle and sit down, only moving to be strapped in by one of the Awoken troops, but otherwise staying as silent and still as possible to not draw the man's ire once more. A third shuttle, one Natsu recognized as his personal shuttle, flew down and docked against the wooden vessel, opening to reveal the empty cargo bay. Natsu watched as Bora was loaded up, and was about to board as well when a voice broke him for his thought.

"Sir!"

"What is it?" Natsu asked while turning to the man, noticing that he was carrying a blonde woman in a maroon ball gown.

"We are at full capacity on the shuttles, but we have this one left. There is room on the prisoner shuttle, but..." The man trailed off weakly. Natsu sighed.

"Put her on my shuttle. Strap her in as far away from the prisoner as possible. I'll see that she recieves medical treatment as soon as I finish with the king." Natsu pinched the bridge of his nose while the Awoken man completed his order. Several minutes later, and all of the troops stood gathered on front of the man on the deck of the ship. Natsu looked to all of them before relaying his new order. "I want the shuttle with the women taken to the outskirts of town and the women released. Return to the ship as soon as you empty yourselves of your cargo. The prisoner vessel will follow me to the King's castle. Any questions?" Natsu felt some relief when none of them questioned him. He always worried that the troops would not take to listening to him, as they technically served Mara, but was relieved to see that his orders were well recieved. The troops all snapped off a salute and climbed in to their proper shuttles, Natsu stood on the deck as he watched the three shuttle climb in to the sky and hover in place several hundred feet up. Natsu pushed a button on his wrist, and could hear his ship approaching from the outskirts. Turning towards the deck of the ship once more, the man sighed and let flames overtake his person as he set the ship ablaze. As the three shuttles flew in to the black night, many on the shore were treated to the sight of the yacht belonging to 'Salamander' become engulfed in white hot flames, sinking below the waters several minutes later.

* * *

"Why do you want me to learn all of this so suddenly?" His daughter's voice questioned him. Toma pinched the bridge of his nose as his daughter expressed her distaste yet again. He had pulled her and Arcadios away from the library, her haven since her mother's death, and began to teach the princess the delicate art of politics.

"Because I am old and would like to retire one day. I want to sit back and fish-"

"You hate fishing." She deadpanned.

"I could learn to love it!" Toma countered. Hisui merely huffed before following after the man.

"Fine. Let's just hurry this along. I was in the middle of something important..." The woman pouted. Toma sighed once more, deciding to hold his tongue for his reason for teaching her for now.

"Right, your little celestial project, I assume?" He felt his frown deepen when she took on a shocked look at the man.

"How did you-"

"You are the princess, and have access to everything this kingdom has to offer. I am the king, and I have access to everything and EVERYONE that this kingdom has to offer. Did you think that I'm not keeping a close eye on everything you do?" Toma replied in an annoyed murmur. Hisui's shock turned to ire as she rounded her gaze to Arcadios.

"How could you tell him?"

"I'm sorry, Princess! I-"

"He did what I told him. Had he kept it a secret, and I found out..." Toma trailed off lowly as he faced his daughter and her sworn protector. He saw both of their eyes widen when he dragged a finger across his throat. "I don't care what you do in your free time, but I will give you this warning, Hisui." Toma closed his eyes as he turned away from her. "If what you do brings harm to my kingdom, or my people, then I will deal with anyone and everyone responsible swiftly and without prejudice."

"Do you mean that you would kill-"

"This land has thrived peacefully for nearly 30 years!" Toma rounded on his daughter. "I have quelled rebellions with words, but I have always had the means to end them by the blade if need be. I have maintained peace in these lands, and her surrounding allies, and I will not let it be thrown to the wind just because some of my own blood has grown a wild hair to toy with forbidden magic. I know well what the Eclipse Gate can do, and it will only bring you pain! I beg of you, as your father, to heed my warnings." The man turned his pleading gaze to his daughter's. Hisui looked at the man silently, the time traveller once more coming to mind, before turning her gaze away. Toma frowned at seeing her answer, before straightening his back and hardening his gaze. "Fine, you want to play a dangerous game, then I'll give you very real consequences."

"What are you-" She stopped when Toma held his hand up and let out a sharp whislte. Arcadios stood to attention, before the doors all along the hall opened up and the armoured knights all stepped out. Hisui could easily recognize the members of her father's royal guard, with Arcadios being a serving branch member and all. What she didn't expect was her father to turn to her with a gaze as sharp as steel.

"I begged you as your father. Now I order you as your king. If you are caught pursuing the Eclipse Gate further, then your entire guard and staff shall be executed." Toma finished, his voice leaving no room for arguement as he looked upon his guard. "Do you all understand your orders?" He bellowed. The guards all snapped out a hearty 'Aye!' before retreating back in to their rooms. Toma turned his gaze back to his daughter, noting her pale features.

"H-how... How could you be so cruel?!" His daughter shouted at him. She turned to run away, but her arm was quickly grabbed by Arcadios, and she was forced to turn back to facing her father. Toma nodded to the man, who kept silent.

"You need to understand that you are playing with peoples' lives. If your plan is successful, do you know the dangers posed with whatever is on the other end of one of those gates? They were created by Zeref, and you are just blindly putting your faith in to that stupid book and some cloaked stranger who gave it to you. Rest assured that if he had not continuously evaded my guard up to this point, then he would be caught and interrogated. I will not let you further risk the kingdom that I have spent my entire life keeping safe! You have not known true conflict for your entire life, and I will not let you be the one to introduce it to yourself and so many others. If anybody dies from here on out because of your pursuits in to the unknown, then it will be your own fault. Those will be your demons to bare, and their blood will be on your hands."

"But father, the book has been right this whole time!" Hisui protested. "It even predicted mother's-"

"Enough! You will not dare your mother in to justifying you practising something so vile and evil as that dark contraption!" Toma shouted, his cheeks flushed in rage. Hisui recoiled, as if physically stricken, and turned her gaze from her father. "I loved your mother more than anything on this planet. She was the light of my life, and she blessed me with something I would easily give my life for. You." Hisui turned her gaze back to her father, the man now clenching his head, as if the memory pained him, before lowering his hand down once more. "Your mother made this drafty castle in to a home. She brought a beauty to my mind that I thought I would never have, and as every day passes, I see more of her in you. You have her radiant smile, and you're smart. By the gods you are smart, but I need you to remember your history." The man spoke gently as he grasped at his daughter's hand. Hisui debated pulling her hand from his grasp, but seeing his broken look convinced her otherwise. "Your grandfather, my father, spent his entire life chasing curses and fearing demons. It consumed him to the point of maddness, and I see that mad glint forming in your eyes as you dig deeper in to this magic. I do this because I love you, and because your mother wouldn't want you to go down this path. Please just remember the past, and that the future is not absolute, and trust me when I tell you that it is a dangerous path." The man pleaded with his daughter, who could only give a tearful nod.

"Okay, father, I promise." She gave a small hiccup. Toma nodded happily and moved to release his daughter's hand, but before he could, Hisui tightened her grip on it. "But I feel you must know, the book predicted your passing as well." The woman looked to the ground in sorrow. Toma sighed, wishing that the book were lying, before squeezing his daughter's hand in his once more. She turned a tearful gaze to meeting his morose smile.

"Death is just another part of life, my dear. My life will end, as has every other person who has existed, but I must make sure that I leave behind good memories and a worthy successor." Toma finished. Hisui nodded tearfully, and followed after her father. They continued down the hall, before a loud roar was heard across the palace, one that was incredibly familiar to Toma. He turned his gaze to his daughter, and gave her a small smile. "Now why don't we go in to the garden. There is someone that I think you should meet."

Toma could only grin as he saw his staff once more righting the toppled furniture and soothing the startled animals, but what caught his attention more was the familiar golden vessel accompanied by two large silver vessels as well. The three ships were parked in the center of his garden, surrounded by knights with weapons drawn. The king merely grinned wider as he practically dragged his daughter with him towards the two vessels. Upon reaching them, Toma quickly issued the order to stand down, which the knights all did reluctantly, before the canopy on the golden ship hissed, opening up to reveal the same pink haired man in strange armour that he had seen earlier that day. His armour glowed brightly in the setting sun, casting the man in a nearly golden aura as he climbed off of the ship and stood before the king."

"Your Majesty." The man greeted with a nod.

"Kell Dragneel." Toma nodded back. Hisui looked between the two men before also greeting the man in armour, who turned to her in surprise before holding out his hand.

"I am Natsu Dragneel, Kell of the House of Wolves. It is a pleasure to meet you." The man smiled kindly. Hisui felt her face flush, and nearly smacked her father when he let out a hearty chuckle.

"It is polite to introduce yourself, my dear." The man snickered. Hisui blanched for a moment before turning back to the Kell.

"Hisui E. Fiore, Princess of the Kingdom of Fiore." She took his hand, and gave a small 'eep' when he kissed the back of her hand. Toma laughed before turning to the man once more.

"I believe you have teased the poor girl enough. Now, have you concluded your business?" The king asked, his tone becoming less jovial towards the end. Natsu nodded before grinning to the man.

"Easily. If you would please follow me." The man spoke as he walked towards the rear of the large silver vessel. Toma and Hisui followed behind, though the knights kept their weapons drawn for any potential dangers. The hatch on the back of the ship hissed as it opened, revealing a severly bruised Bora the Prominence and a blonde seated as far away as possible. Both were restrained by the safety harnesses on their seat, but Bora was at least conscious enough to recognize the situation.

"Mercy?" He rasped out. Toma took a few steps forwards, the injured man feeling relief at his friendly face vanish when the king gave a jovial 'Nope!', as Natsu released his harness and the man was dragged off to the dungeons. Hisui turned her gaze to the unconscious blonde in her seat, noting some familiar features.

"Excuse me, Kell Natsu, but who is that woman?"

"Her?" Natsu turned his gaze to the blonde that he had forgotten until moments ago. "Don't really know. She was on his ship, and my other ships were full up, so I loaded her up in this one and am going to give her medical attention when I return to the ship." Natsu shrugged before turning to the king. "I assume that I have earned enough trust to show you what I have to offer for cooperation?" The man questioned the shorter king. Toma hummed in thought for a moment before nodding with a small smile. "Great, we'll depart shortly, but for now you may want to take these other prisoners as well."

"Other prisoners?" Toma asked curiously. Natsu nodded and grinned as the second silver ship opened up, revealing all of the men inside.

"What is a nefarious pirate without his nefarious crew?"

"Fair enough." Toma grinned as he motioned his knights to move the detained men from the ships. Within five minutes, all of the men were now off of the ships and being escorted to the palace dungeons.

"So what will you do with them now?" Natsu watched the last of the prisoners turn a corner. Toma turned to the pink haired man and smiled.

"Well I believe that I will bypass their trials from the Magic Council. I have reason to believe that there are some in there that Bora has paid who would see him released within a week."

"Good plan." Natsu hummed. "With you being the ultimate governing body in this nation, the Council will have no choice but to obey your decision."

"Spoke like a true leader, my boy!" Toma laughed out. "So, what do you have to show me?"

"Well." Natsu paused in thought for a moment. "I suppose everything, but you will have to travel with me to my kingdom. It won't take more than a few minutes." Natsu finished with a smile. Toma gave the boy a cautious gaze.

"And where is your kingdom, by the way? Did you perhaps pick up some land in the instability of Bosco?"

"Higher." Natsu stated simply.

"The mountains of Seven?"

"Higher."

"Have you usurped a heady chunk of land from Pergrande perhaps?"

"It's easier if I show you what I mean by higher." Natsu motioned towards one of the silver ships before walking inside. "You're welcome to bring whatever guards you want to. I understand that I haven't completely won you over yet, but that'll change soon enough." Natsu called within the ship. Toma nodded to three of his guards, while Hisui looked to Arcadios, who was already walking in to the ship. Several minutes later, and they were all strapped in to their seats by people that Toma could swear were blue, before Natsu's voice rang out.

"Now this may seem strange, but it's okay if you get sick. My kind of travel will really take it out of you if you get motion sick."

"What kind of magic will you be using?" Hisui spoke aloud, only to recieve a chuckle in response.

"No magic. Everything you are about to see is pure technology." And with those words, Toma and Hisui, as well as their guards, felt like their stomach were being pulled from their bodies as the ship took off and roared in to the night sky.

* * *

"Sorry about that." Natsu spoke as he stood at the open door to the shuttle. He gazed in small sorrow at how disheveled everyone looked. Hisui's green hair was mussed, her tiara hanging sideways on her head. Toma had faired the best, only looking wildly at the man as the knights all seemed to be in need of severe adjustment, or cleaned of vomit. Once unbuckled, none of them could retreat fast enough from the ship, though the sight that greeted them was shocking. Blue people moved all through the hangar, accompanied by some humanoid machines. Electricity arced and the sound of tools grinding metal echoed through the room as everybody worked. They were all snapped from their awe when Natsu chuckled. "It isn't polite to stare. Some of the Awoken may take offense if you continue to do so." Natsu spoke as he brushed by the crowd, a hand over his shoulder gesturing the group to follow him. The groupo followed him through several hallways, winding and turning, the group marveled at the solid steel that surrounded them. They would pass more Awoken, who all snapped a salute at Natsu, who grinned and waved them off as the went by. After several mor minutes of walking through the strange structure, they came to what Natsu called the 'Bridge'. They couldn't help but stare in awe as they took in the room.

Men and women stood at consoles as tall as themselves, seemingly surrounded by computers that they expertly controlled. These cubicles seemed to line a pathway, past a giant sphere that seemed to stare at them when they entered, to what had the group in awe. At the very end of the room was a large round window. From that, the group could see the bright blue surface of a large sphere, only broken up by the black stars that seemed to frame the surrounding sphere. In the distance, they could make out the familiar shape of the moon, and it dawned on them what they were truly seeing.

It was Earthland.

"I'd like to formally welcome you to the Kingdom of the Reef, as well as the House of Wolves. I accept you as my guest, and hope that any negotiations from here on out will be beneficial."

"As the King of Fiore, I thank you for your hospitality, and hope we can come to a benficial understanding as well." The small man grinned. "However, I shall defer any negotiations to my daughter."

"What?!" Hisui all but shouted, causing the entire bridge to fall silent as everyone stared at her. She blushed and stared down at the ground, causing Toma to begin to chuckle.

"I feel that my time as the political decider is coming to a close. You are young, as is my daughter, and you already have so much at your disposal... The world is moving forward, and I fear I would do nothing but hold it back. My daughter is young, and while she may be inexperienced, I can tell you have no shady ulterior motives, so you would be a good first for her." The man smiled sadly as he gazed at his daughter. Natsu hummed in thought for a moment.

"I suppose that makes sense. How about we have a bit of a pause first. I'd like to explain some technologies to you, good for banking and whatnot. Why doesn't one of my men give your daughter a tour of the ship, given that she may have to know her way around if she will be spending any amount of time here." Natsu supplied with a smile. Toma nodded, and soon Hisui was being led from the room, Arcadios trailing closely behind her. As soon as the door slid closed behind her, Natsu turned an eye to the small king. "Now how about you explain the real reason why you want your daughter taking over?"

"Saw through me that easily?" Toma gave a small chuckle. Natsu nodded and moved to a seat. Toma followed and sat next to the man. " I guess you really are quite perceptive, but then you'd have to be given your position."

"I've seen and done my fair share." Natsu spoke as he leaned back in his seat. "I've learned pretty well to tell a liar when I see one. So what gives?"

"If I can completely honest?"

"I'd be insulted if you were anything but." Natsu countered. The king gave a small chuckle.

"I'm dying."

"... Come again?" Natsu spoke as he stared at the king, who could only nod with tired eyes.

"I said that I'm dying. I've been having sever headaches in the recent months, and no medications were helping me. I summoned a healer named Porylusia, from Magnolia, and she examined me from top to bottom. She found a growth in my brain, something agitating the flesh in my head and causing a large mass to appear in my skull. She gave me some meds to hopefully slow the growth, but the headaches are getting worse and the mass will only grow larger. She said when it reaches a certain size, that it will begin to affect my motor functions and my organs will begin to shut down, and will eventually stop my heart or my lungs, and I will die."

"Did she tell you how long?" Natsu asked solemly, his mind whirring at everything that he was being told.

"She said I had two years max, but I'd be lucky to go another six months..." The man finished with tears in his eyes. "All I ever wanted was to do right by my kingdom. I wanted to watch my daughter grow and fall in love. I wanted to spoil my grandchildren with cookies and sneaking away from the guards to go camping and give them a proper childhood. I want to give them the same childhood that Hisui had, full of laughter and good memories, none of the boring politics of royalty. I'll have to settle with making sure my daughter has a stable foundation from which to lead." The man held in a sob. Natsu was about to speak, but was interrupted when Specter phased in to light in front of him, performing several scans on the king. Toma could only look in mild shock as the small machine ran it's yellow eye over the man.

"What are you doing, Specter?" Natsu questioned the small machine, which only turned to Natsu and whirred.

"It seems as if he has stage four brain cancer. His chances of survival with what I can tell from the medications in his system are currently zero percent." The Ghost spoke. Natsu pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah. We kinda established that, no need to be a dick." Natsu groaned. The Ghost whirred at the man before speaking once more.

"However, with medical technologies from the Golden Age files we pulled from Rasputin, I believe we can treat his ailment and raise his odds of survival up to 90 percent."

"And we have these?" Natsu asked. The Ghost whirred for a moment before chirping several times.

"Affirmative. We merely need to harvest the material necessary to build any components we don't have, and we can begin treatment."

"Can you tell what we will need most?" Natsu spoke eagerly, though the King seemed just as eager if his expression was anything to read from.

"Silicon and copper for circuitry. We will also need a large amount of gold and platinum. We do have the chemicals required to begin treatment in halting progression, but the hardware we will need to create will take several months to fabricate. The medications we issue should halt it long enough for us to build the required pieces to properly treat and cure his ailment."

"Well," Natsu leaned back once more before turning a grin to Toma, who could only look on hopefully. "Looks like you may get to spoil those grandchildren after all."

"What do you want from me though?" Toma asked through tears. He was not stupid enough to believe it came at no price, but was surprised when Natsu waved the man off.

"Your daughter is in charge of the negotiations, not you." Natsu waved him off. "Everything that will be discussed will be between myself and her, but I will throw this one in for free. Just supply us the resources and we'll call it good. You are a good man, who has led his people to thrive under his care. You just focus on getting better, and don't worry about owing me anything. Understood?"

"Thank you!" Toma cried as he shook Natsu's hand, tears streaming down his face. "Thank you so much!"

"Don't thank him yet." The Ghost whirred. "The medications we are going to put you on while we build what we need will take a toll on your body."

"What kind of toll?" The king asked nervously.

"Vomiting, weakness, loss of appetite, blood in your urine and stool. Weight loss and dehydration. Your immune system will be incredibly weak, so you will need to be isolated, lest you die from a common cold." The Ghost listed smoothly. Toma grew more pale with each new symptom.

"Rough." Natsu whistled lowly.

"Indeed." The Ghost spoke. "I recommend we see about isolating him in the medbay here on the ship."

"Why can't I be home for it?" Toma questioned. The Ghost merely scoffed.

"Those areas aren't sterilized. Here we can control your environment to an absolute, ensuring nothing can complicate your treatment."

"Okay..." Toma spoke quietly to himself before nodding once more. "Okay! I accept these conditions so long as you and my nation are allies moving forward. I want my daughter to be able to visit whenever she wishes." The man spoke. Natsu nodded.

"Of course. She'll be free to come and go as she pleases. We will have a shuttle on the palace grounds at all times to ensure the fastest travel here and back."

"Thank you." Toma said once more. Natsu merely waved it off as the door slid open once more, and Hisui and Arcadios entere the bridge once again. Hisui rushed over upon seeing her father wiping away tears.

"What's the matter father? Did he do anything to you?" The princess questioned before turning a narrowed gaze to Natsu. The man held both of his hands up in surrender before the princess shot to her feet and knights on the bridge all drew their blades, causing the Awoken to draw their weapons as well. Arcadios stepped towards the man, only to stop as the ground in front of him sparked as one of the Awoken fired their pistol at the man's feet.

"Any closer to the Kell and you die!" The Awoken woman spoke. Natsu merely held his hand up, as did the King, and both motioned for their company to stand down. The knights and Awoken holstered their weapons, but continued to eye eachother wearily. Toma was the first to break the silence with a heavy sigh as he stared in disappointment at his daughter.

"I had hoped the lessons I taught you in remaining calm would have stuck in your mind a bit better." The man closed his eyes as he leaned back in his seat, feeling another headache forming.

"Huh?" Was the only response his dumbfounded daughter could give. The old man merely waved his hand at Natsu.

"You explain." He grumbled as he rubbed his palms against his closed eyes.

"I suppose." Natsu hummed for a moment before turning to the princess. "I guess the first thing I should ask you is if you have any idea on what you just did."

"I was checking on the wellbeing of my father." Hisui ground out as she glared at the pink haired man. "And making sure you didn't hurt him."

"And in doing so; your tone caused alarm in your guards, who were already in a state of caution, to automatically draw their weapons. Did you forget that you are technically on foreign grounds, and are accepted as my guests? In doing what you did, you have spit on my hospitality, insulted my honor, and shown hostility in my own home. When it comes to dealing with diplomats and royalty, being calm is everything. Had this been anybody other than me, your actions would have rightly declared a war." Natsu pointed out, his hand gesturing to the Awoken crew, who still had hands resting on their pistols. "And a war with an enemy you know nothing about, no less."

"I didn't... I was just-"

"Your concern for me is deeply appreciated, my dear." Toma spoke calmly as his headache subsided momentarily. "But you must always act with tact. Cooler heads prevail, and while it is good to show your passion, it can also lead to needless death. Politics is a matter of pride. Step on another politician's pride, and you may pay the price in blood, or worse."

"Worse?"

"He's talking about an embargo." Natsu explained, thankful for Ikora and Mara drilling politics in to his thick skull. "Insulting the leader of another nation could lead to them creating an embargo, and while not hostile, it can damn the economy of a nation, especially one like Fiore, who thrives in trade. If your economy collapses, it could lead to poverty, starvation, or outright civil war. People won't stand under a leader who they percieve as selfish or uncaring of the people."

"The people of Fiore would never rebel." Hisui spoke factually to Natsu, who could only sigh and look to Toma. The old man decided to take the reigns of the conversation once more.

"They can and they have before." Toma spoke, taking in his daughter's shocked appearance. "Shortly after my mother died and I took the throne, the grain farmers bordering Bosco were threatening rebellion for being unfairly taxed. The history books will tell you that I quelled the upstart before it could gain momentum, but that isn't entirely true. By the time I was able to negotiate a tax reform, they had gained the support of the lumber and mining workers of the north and east respectively. It is part of the reason that I had to declare our nation as nuetral. With no trade embargo placed on us from enemy nations anymore, we could trade goods at a cheaper price, thus lowering taxes and raising income. It wasn't perfect, merely taping over a crack in the foundation, but it was a stable start. With that no longer as an issue, I was able to focus on building our nation in to the economic super power that it is today, reforming it from the ground up. But I wouldn't have been able to do so had I not been able to sooth the pride of those leaders and negotiate with them."

"So you see." Natsu spoke as the king caught his breath. "Being calm and picturing the future, rather than the present, is the best way to operate. I brought you both here to negotiate an alliance between our nations, but your father and I had another matter to discuss."

"I thought you said you were placing mein charge of the negotiations." Hisui turned to her father, who only nodded to the green haired woman.

"And you are. Kell Dragneel and I were merely discussing his medical program."

"Why did you want to discuss that in private? If he could bring something better than what we have to the table, shouldn't it be discussed with me first?" Hisui frowned. Toma sighed for a moment, his eyes darting back and forth in debate before turning to his daughter.

"For the same reason that I brought you with me, and am having you negotiate with Kell Dragneel."

"Which is?" Hisui tapped her foot impatiently.

"Because I'm dying." Toma stated plainly. Hisui's foot stopped tapping, and Natsu could hear her choke on her breath.

"W-what?" She asked shakily. Toma frowned and repeated himself.

"I said I'm dying. Kell Dragneel was speaking with me about medical technologies that he has at hand, and that he can likely cure what is killing me. Without his technology though, I will be dead within two years." Toma finished plainly, his eyes closed. He opened them a moment later, taking in his daughter's stunned face. She quickly turned to Natsu.

"What are your demands?" She questioned. Natsu quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Demands?"

"Don't play stupid! What are your demands for healing my father?!" She took a step towards the man, only to recoil when she saw every member of the Awoken crew once again draw their weapons. Natsu held his hand up once more, causing them to halt and stand anxiously, but they didn't dare move.

"No demands. Your dad is a good man, and the world would be a darker place without him. I do this as an act of good faith, from my kingdom to yours, in hopes that I can show you that my interest in peace is genuine." Natsu smiled gently at her, causing the baffled woman to turn to her father.

"Is this true, father? He isn't lying?" Hisui asked her father. Toma shook his head and smiled gently at his daughter.

"No, my young darling, he is not lying. I will be recieving treatment here for the next few months until I am cured, so you will be in charge until I return." Toma smirked as Hisui began to stammer.

"But father, I can't... I couldn't possibly... How-"

"You will be fine." Toma placed a hand on hers. "You have my entire staff on standby to act as advisors, not to mention you will be able to come see me whenever." He chuckled when he saw her turn slightly green at the thought of travelling once more on a shuttle. "You will be perfectly fine until I return. Just relax and get a feel for it. The position will be yours eventually."

"Father!" The woman complained. Toma giggled to himself.

"Relax! Hopefully it won't be for a very long time." The man chuckled, before turning to Natsu. "So when can we begin my treatment?"

"I can send a message down to the medbay, but it may take a couple hours to get it set up for quarantine protocals. In the meantime, why don't you shadow your daughter while we negotiate?"

"That sounds like a lovely plan." Toma grinned as another seat was brought out, and his daughter took a seat across from the pink haired man.

"Excellent!" Natsu clapped before looking to the princess. "Now let's start with the the fact that I want myself and my people to be able to move freely in and around your nation."

"I suppose that is acceptable so long as you submit a registry and travel log of incoming and outgoing." Hisui spoke calmly, noting her father giving her a smile and a thumbs up.

"Deal. Next, I want my people to be able to harvest resources withing your borders. In exchange for this, we will supply new technologies exclusively to your kingdom."

"I suppose that is acceptable, so long as we can perhaps negotiate some of your weapons in that deal." Hisui turned her gaze to one of the Awoken, her eyes lingering on the pistol on her hip.

"I suppose we can finer tune that bargain." Natsu spoke in thought. "I'm incredibly wary to let even the smallest of my weapons get in to the hands of the wrong persons." The man finished warily.

"What kind of damage can these weapons do?" Hisui asked, eyebrow raised.

"They aren't like your weapons." Natsu spoke slowly. "They use technology, and not a hint of magic within them. They aren't made for non lethal combat as well. Each of these weapons is made to kill. In the hands of a professional, like myself or any of these Awoken, they can make non lethal more attainable. However you have nothing to counter one of these weapons, let alone anything I have that is bigger."

"You have bigger weapons?" Hisui asked, now genuinely curious. "How could we go about acquiring them? What could we trade with you to possibly get you to part with some of those?"

"There's no need for those." Toma countered his daughter, now looking at Natsu. "We have enough to defend our borders, with FACE and Etherion. Not to mention our nuetrality protects us well enough."

"Merely thinking of the future." Hisui pouted. "Just because we are nuetral doesn't mean that other nations may respect that."

"It's okay." Natsu spoke as he faced the princess. "I understand the want to protect your nation, especially with everything I have shown you, but those weapons are off the table. The devastation they can cause is too severe to offer anyone. Earthland isn't ready for the weapons that I can build."

"All the more reason to bring us up to speed." Hisui countered.

"In due time." Natsu spoke, a frown on his face. "But do you honestly think you can safely say that you could control weapons that can reshape a continent, or harness the power of the radiation to burn a nation to cinders in seconds? The weapons I have contain the ability to easily kill millions in minutes. Can you honestly say that your society is ready for such vast power at their fingertips?"

"No..." Hisui spoke weakly, now realizing the potential dangers that Natsu's weapons could pose.

"I thought not. Trust me when I say that I'm keeping them from you for your own good, not out of spite or some shadowy plot."

"Okay." Hisui sighed, already tired. She turned to her father, seeing the man nod once more. "Then let's move on to the next topic."

"Ah yes." Natsu snapped his fingers. "Transportation and housing!"

* * *

"Hello?" Lucy called from inside the back of the shuttle. She had awoken to a strange place, strapped in to a seat that she couldn't seem to unbuckle herself from, and everyone was ignoring her. "Can anyone hear me?!"

* * *

It has been quite a bit. I've had some things to deal with, with my recovery and then an attempted suicide within my family. I've been super busy, and only been able to write for about 15 minutes every couple days. For me, that isn't even enough time to get a proper flow going.

But I sat down today on got nearly half of this entire chapter typed out. I hope you all enjoy it.

Sorry again for the wait,

Temper


	22. Chapter 22

Light

Chapter 22

* * *

"Okay, that take care of the bulk of it." Natsu sat back in his seat, wiping his eyes from the several hour long negotiation. He stared across to Hisui, who also let out a sigh of relief.

"Kell Dragneel!" Everyone in the room turned to see an Awoken woman standing in the doorway to the room. "The medical bay is properly sterilized for quarantine protocals."

"Excellent." Natsu clapped before turning to Toma. "Ready to begin?"

"Yeah." Toma nodded, a grin on his face. "Let's get this done before I change my mind and start looking at coffins."

"Father!" Hisui moaned out. "Must your humor be so dark?"

"Relax, my daughter!" Toma laughed out, causing Natsu to chuckle as well. "I can joke of my demise because it is MY demise. Would you rather I sat here and cried over all of my missed opportunities and regrets?"

"No, but-"

"Exactly! Besides, I don't have time to mourn my own life, I have a kingdom to run. Well," The man rubbed his head sheepishly. "You have a kingdom to run. I have an illness to overcome." The small man looked to Natsu, who nodded and stood. Hisui stood soon after and the three approached the person in the doorway. The young woman nodded, and the three began to walk through the long corridors, trailed loosley by their security, towards the medical bay. As they were walking, the young woman decided to speak out.

"Sir, we have extracted the blonde woman from your shuttle and are currently questioning her."

"Oh yeah." Natsu chuckled sheepishly, rubbing his head as the three stared at him. "Forgot about her. Well, what have you found out about her?"

"Right. Her name is Lucy, age 18, occupation is an unaffiliated mage for hire. What does that mean?" The young woman turned her gaze to Natsu, who only chuckled.

"Means she's basically a freelance mercenary."

"Right." The woman nodded, typing something on to the tablet in her hand.

"Does this Lucy have a surname?" Toma asked from behind Natsu. The pink haired man turned an expectant gaze towards the woman, who only stared down at her tablet for a moment before looking back at Natsu, a frown on her face.

"I'm sure she does, sir, but she has yet to reveal it."

"Right..." Natsu hummed in thought for a moment. "Let her know that she isn't going to be sold in to slavery, in case you haven't already, and get her name. It seems as if the King and the Princess have an inkling as to who she may be. Get me that name before we throw out any speculations as to her reasons for being where she was."

"Aye sir!" The woman saluted as they entered the medical bay, the woman typing away on her tablet once more. Toma looked around, noting the polished steel and sterilized appearance of the room. The king sighed before turning to Natsu.

"So this is it for me for the next few months, huh?"

"Don't fret too much about it." Natsu waved away the man's morose look. "The treatment will take us some time to fabricate, but the medications are already ready to be administered. We'll go about bringing you some books and movies to keep you entertained." Natsu spoke before humming for a moment. "Of ocurse there is always to other option."

"Which is?" Toma asked with a raised brow.

"We place you in to a medically induced coma. You recieve all of your nutrients through feeding tubes and we regularly administer your medications. For you, it would be going to sleep and waking up cured. Your muscles will be weakened no matter what, so physical therapy is going to a mandatory regardless of what you want." The young blue skinned woman spoke from in front of the group. Toma turned his gaze towards her, before looking back to his daughter.

"You should do that, father." Hisui spoke calmly, though Toma could see just how close she was to tears.

"Nonsense!" The man spoke suddenly, turning a bright smile to his daughter. "If I was to sleep through everything, how would I be able to give you advice when you need it most? I think I can live with a few months of pain if I get to watch my sweet little girl turn in to a beautiful young ruler."

"Father..." Hisui could do nothing to stop the tears rolling down her cheeks. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned her gaze to the pink haired man.

"Come on in so you can say your goodbyes. We have to prepare him for his treatment, and that's going to be a bit invasive." He spoke calmly. Hisui nodded, and along with Toma, the three of them walked in to the center of the quarantine chamber. Hisui knelt down and embraced her father, stunning the short man for a moment before he returned her hug.

"You are so smart, and so strong." Toma began, his voice wavering slightly. "You are going to do so much more for this kingdom than I ever could, and I'm proud of you. Just remember to avoid that Eclipse Gate and all of those forbidden magics, and you will be the best ruler that Fiore has ever seen." Toma broke the hug, wiping a few of his tears away. The man then turned to Natsu, who was staring at the two with wide eyes, but quickly concealed it. "Take care of her for me? She is young and prone to mistakes."

"Of course, Your Majesty." Natsu nodded to the man.

"Call me Toma, Kell Dragneel. I feel that if everything here goes the way we are hoping, then I will be more than happy to call you a friend." The man smiled, before gaining a mischevious smirk. "Possibly more. Have I mentioned that my daughter is single?"

"Father!" Hisui was mortified. She turned her gaze from the smirking king to the pink haired Kell. Natsu was staring at her with a smirk of his own, causing a heavy blush to cross her cheeks.

"Is she now?" Natsu grinned to the king. "While that is tempting, I feel that perhaps the situations involved on all sides should prevent anything from happening, for right now anyway." Natsu chuckled when Hisui turned away from both of them, before turning his gaze back to Toma. "Though I suppose with me calling you Toma, then you should call me Natsu. It is what friends do, after all." The pink haired man grinned before holding out his hand. Toma grinned as well as he shook the man's hand.

"Very well." Toma gave one last smile before walking the rest of the way over to the Awoken woman, who instructed the man to sit on the bed as she began her questioning. Natsu laid a hand gently on Hisui's shoulder and gently guided the woman from the room, stopping when she turned to gaze at her father once more before the two exited the room, the door sliding closed behind them.

"Sir!" Natsu turned towards another one of the guards. He nodded to the man, waving away his salute and signalling the man to continue. "We have gotten the woman know as Lucy to give up her last name."

"And?" Natsu asked. The man pulled the tablet from his belt and handed it to Natsu, who took one look at the name before handing the tablet back to the guard. "Take me to her." Natsu frowned when the man stood still for a moment. "Now!" The man jumped before nodding and leading the two down the hallway. He turned his gaze towards Hisui, who was wordlessly following the two. With Toma mentioning the Eclipse Gate, and now a Heartfilia, something strange was happening that was too much to be coincidental. "Tell me Princess-"

"Hisui." The woman spoke. Natsu looked at her for a moment more, causing the woman to blush and break eye contact. "If you will refer to my father as Toma, then you shall also refer to me as Hisui. Is that okay with you... Natsu?" The woman spoke his name slowly, as if testing how it rolled off her tongue. Natsu nodded.

"Sure. So Hisui, do you know anybody by the name of Lucy Heartfilia?"

"Perhaps." The woman pondered as they walked. "I do remember spending time at the Heartfilia estates when I was younger. I somewhat remember Miss Layla having a daughter, but I never saw her much. Is this Lucy the blonde woman from your exploits earlier?" She asked curiously. Natsu nodded before falling silent in thought. The two of them continued after the man before arriving to the room that Lucy was being held in. Upon entering the room, Hisui couldn't help but compare how eerily similar the woman looked to Miss Layla, even having inherited the woman's massive bust. Her brown eyes seemed to lock on to Natsu and Hisui warily, as if gauging how difficult it would be to fight the two of them and escape. Natsu was the first to break the uneasy silence.

"As if my life wasn't complicated enough, I had to come across yet another Heartfilia." Natsu sighed. Lucy's eyes widened, her face draining of all colour as a frown marred her face.

"What do you want from me? Did my father send you?" She questioned out, voice wavering between panic and anger. Natsu frowned as he stared at the woman for a moment.

"No. I take it you and your father don't really get along?"

"No." The woman said, voice curt. Natsu narrowed his eyes as he watched her hands drift to her belt, where he could feel an abnormally strong concentration of what was almost light from a leather pouch on her hip.

"Don't even think about it." Natsu spoke suddenly, snapping across the room before Lucy could pull her key ring from her pouch. His hand caught hers, and his other hand snapped the keys from her grasp. Lucy shouted in anger as the man easily disarmed her and forced her back in to her seat.

"Those aren't yours!" She yelled. "Give them back to me!" She yelled once more, her cries going unheeded as the man examined the keys. Specter came out once more, a small beam coming from it's eye as it scanned the keys.

"Fascinating. These keys seem to hold the closest thing to pure light that I have observed in this universe since our arrival."

"Isn't all magic consisting of light though?" Natsu asked the Ghost, who only whirred in thought.

"Yes, but it is diluted and weakened. Not pure light, like a guardian has, by any means. There are hints of other energies to it. It is difficult to explain so simply."

"Can you try?" Natsu spoke calmly.

"If I had to explain it in any way, it would be that the magic that I have detected is more closely related to Mara's abilites. Close to light to the point that they share properties, but not pure light like the guardians use."

"And how does this one feel?"

"Ancient and powerful. It is the closest thing to pure light that I have seen since our arrival." The Ghost said once again. Natsu nodded in thought before turning to the blonde. Her family had been responsible for caring for the Eclipse gate for generations, it would make sense that her magic would be ancient. He held the keys out in front of him, the blonde taking the chance to grab on the them as well, trying to tug them from his grip. Natsu held firm as he stared in to her eyes, noting the panic before speaking once more.

"We aren't going to hurt you. Once we are done here, I will take you anywhere you want in Fiore, but I need you to calm down. If I give these back to you, I need you to promise me that you won't use them. Can you do that?"

"Yes." Lucy spoke after taking a deep breath, relaxing in relief when he released her keys. She rubbed them affectionately in her hands before placing them back in the pouch on her belt. "But who are you?"

"Natsu Dragneel." The man spoke calmly before turning to Hisui.

"Hisui Fiore." The green haired princess spoke as well, noting the woman's wide eyes when she stated her name.

"You're the Princess!" The woman spoke as she pointed a finger at her. Hisui nodded before pointing back at the blode calmly.

"Yes, and you look like Layla Heartfilia. I assume you are hers and Jude's child?" Hisui frowned at the pained look on her face. "Did something happen to them?"

"Yeah." Lucy spoke calmly. "My mom passed away a few years ago, and my dad..."

"Your dad?" Natsu asked. Lucy took a deep breath before speaking once more.

"My dad became focused on his work. He got really cold and distant, and then he became abusive." The blonde mumbled, doing her best to hold back her tears. Natsu frowned, but remained silent, and Hisui gasped.

"I'm so sorry. I never knew Mr. Jude was that kind of man..." Hisui spoke akwardly. Lucy nodded for a moment as she composed herself.

"I didn't either until he was." Lucy mumbled. Natsu sighed as he decided to change topics.

"What were you doing on Bora's ship?" He questioned, wincing at his own tone. He didn't mean to sound like a dick, but it just happened sometimes. Lucy winced and stared at the man.

"You'll probably think I'm stupid..." The blonde pouted to herself. Natsu sighed as he sat down across from her.

"Try me."

"Ever since I ran away from home, I've wanted to be a mage of Fairy Tail."

"What?" Natsu asked, slightly stunned. Lucy huffed and nodded.

"See?! I told you it was stupid!" She mumbled to herself.

"It's not stupid." Natsu sighed. "It just caught me off guard. So how did that lead you to being on the yacht of a wanted slaver?"

"He was a slaver?!" Lucy yelled, apologizing quickly when she saw Natsu wince. "I didn't know. He told me that he was Salamander of Fairy Tail, and that he could get me in. I just wanted to meet everyone." She pouted down at the floor. Natsu hummed in thought.

"Who did you want to meet specifically?" Natsu asked, throwing Lucy off guard slightly.

"I guess I'd like to meet Mirajane and Erza. I see them a lot in the magazines, and I just want to ask them how they got so powerful..." She stared in confusion as Natsu pulled a small tablet from his belt.

"I'm sure they'll tell you that they trained constantly, to the point of near death." Natsu spoke casually as he typed several things in to the tablet. Lucy tried her best to sneak a peek at what he was typing, but quickly shot back down in to her seat when the man's gaze snapped up to her curious eyes. The woman sat blushing in her seat while the tablet began to make a small chirping noise. Natsu pressed a button on the tablet, and the screen was overtaken by the image of a blonde woman. The image stared at the guardian in annoyance for a moment before speaking.

"What do you want?" The blonde woman scowled.

"To see your beautiful face." Natsu teased back. Lucy watched the scowl on the blonde's face melt away to a small smile. "And to also see if the redhead and white haired girl that attacked me earlier were still in?" And the smile was gone.

"And why would you want to talk to them right now?" The blonde growled. Natsu chuckled and held up a hand.

"Down girl. It's business, I swear."

"Whatever..." The blonde spoke. Her image disappeared from the screen for several moments while there was several shouts and insults thrown back and forth in the background.

"She seems nice..." Lucy complimented lamely. Natsu let out a bark of laughter for a few seconds before looking over at Lucy.

"Amanda is really sweet, if a bit rough around the edges." Natsu grinned as the tablet let out several loud crashing sounds. "She's just grumpy right now because our sleep schedules are all messed up, and she wants to take a long bath and sleep for a few weeks." Natsu smiled at Lucy, who could only nod sagely. She understood the importance of bathing, often spending much of her time bathing when she could afford to.

"I guess we all have bad days." Lucy spoke hesitantly as the blonde's voice once more echoed over the tablet, a combination of curses and insults that she hadn't heard before making her cheeks redden seconds later, several more feminine voices could be heard getting closer to the tablet on the other end. A small scuffle appeared before Lucy could hear the two new voices speak, and the screen become red.

"Oi, Red! Get your fat fucking head back a bit!" An angered voice spoke up. The screen on the tablet shuffled a bit before a stern face, framed by red hair, became visible. The face quickly became angered as the redhead's gaze snapped to the side.

"Shut your mouth, you gothic boob-demon! I feel like I'm saving Natsu trouble by not showing him your ugly face!" The redhead taunted back. The screen shifted once more, and another face could be seen. A stern glare, cold blue eyes framed by dark eyeliner, glared at the redhead. The two seemed to but foreheads, the screen catching everything, before Amanda's voice rang out from the background.

"I swear to whatever you hold holy, if you break my tablet I will have Mara hold you both down while I put my foot up both of your asses and wear you like fucking slippers!"

Both of the women stopped glaring and paled slightly.

Natsu cleared his throat, catching the attention of both women. They each shot a small glare at something off screen before looking at Natsu once more.

"The hell do you want?" The white haired woman glared. Amanda's voice could be heard once more.

"Keep up the shitty attitude and I won't take my boots off when I wear you!"

"Sorry." The woman sneered. Natsu let out a chuckle, causing the woman to glare at him once more.

"Sorry to interrupt you ladies, but there is someone that would like to meet you." Natsu spoke calmly. Each of the women raised a brow before Natsu slid the tablet across the table towards Lucy. The confused blonde picked it up and stared at Natsu, who motioned down towards the screen. Lucy turned her gaze down, and nearly gasped at the two faces peering back up at her.

It was Erza Scarlet and Mirajane Strauss.

"Umm... hi?" The blonde spoke weakly. Mira snorted and Erza let out a small sigh. Lucy was busy kicking herself mentally when Mira spoke.

"Sup?"

"Really?" Erza glared at the white haired woman. "This woman asks to see me and all you have to say is 'Sup'?"

"Who the hell said she wanted to see you, you fucking tuna can?" Mira glared back.

"Well I just figured she wanted to see the best that Fairy Tail had to offer." Erza growled out, deceptively calm. "And you just happened to sneak in to the conversation." She sneered.

"Oh that is it you fucking slut!" Mira yelled.

There was a small scuffle on screen before there was a flash of purple and the screen shut off. Natsu sighed for a moment before plucking the screen from Lucy and typing several things on to it. Several minutes ticked by before Natsu tucked his tablet on to his belt and looked to the blonde.

"Well so much for that. Wanna just go ask them in person?"

"Like... Go to Fairy Tail and speak with them?" Lucy spoke, suddenly even more timid. Natsu nodded and shot the blonde a grin.

"Of course we'd go there." Natsu spoke. "We just have to do a few things first." He turned his grin back to Hisui. "So are you ready to head home now?"

"I suppose." Hisui gave a loud sigh, not looking forward to the amount of work that was going to need to be done in the coming days. "How soon can we leave?" She asked.

"Let's go round up your people, and a shuttle will be ready for us when we reach the hangar." Natsu spoke calmly as he pulled his tablet out once more and typed several commands on to it. The man then turned to Lucy. "Come on. No sense in leaving you here. The Awoken aren't to receptive to guests on their ships."

"R-right!" Lucy stuttered as she quickly shot out of her seat and walked alongside Hisui, both of them following Natsu down the corridors. Hisui was soon reunited with her guard, and the group once more followed Natsu to the hangar. Everyone once again boarded the shuttle, though Natsu invited Hisui to ride alongside him at the front. Lucy was once more strapped in to her seat, though the blonde saw fit to complain about it, not having been conscious for the ride up. Hisui strapped in next to Natsu as the man began to press seemingly random buttons on the console before turning to the green haired woman and grinning.

"Ready?"

"Yes." Hisui sighed after a few deep breaths. Natsu gave off a small laugh before looking to her once more.

"Okay. Go ahead and give me a countdown?" He asked her, a sly grin on his face. Hisui nodded after narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously.

"Okay. Ten, nine, eig- AAAAAHHHH!" The woman shouted as the shuttle suddenly launched from the ship, rapidly gaining speed as it charged towards the planet. After several seconds, Hisui stopped screaming long enough to take in the view as the ship broke orbit and started heading towards the palace. She stared in awe as the ground passed beneath them at a blinding speed.

She wondered if this was how birds felt in flight.

"It's always impressive to think about." Natsu spoke calmly next to her. She turned her gaze to him to see him also staring out the window. "We're going so fast right now that anything below us won't hear us for another three seconds after we've passed."

"Impossible." Hisui gasped at the realization.

"Not anymore." The man spoke calmly as he gazed over at the princess. Hisui wasn't sure if it was the lighting of the cockpit, or just the man's natural energy, but she couldn't stop her blush as he spoke. "Nothing is impossible anymore. So long as we all can work together, than I feel that we could do anything that people said was impossible."

"Right." The woman had to swallow thickly, her heart seemingly trying to climb out of her throat at the man's determination. She hardly even noticed when the ship had landed, a gentle thud and jostling the only sign that the shuttle had landed.

People were unloaded, and Hisui called a crew out to scrub the cargo bay of the shuttle once more, and Lucy had to drag herself from the cargo bay. Her clothes were ruffled, her hair more mussed, and her eyes were tired. Her internal clock was telling her that it was close to midnight, and she desperately wanted to sleep. She walked over to Natsu, who was speaking with several of the Awoken that had stayed behind.

"Right. I want you two to stay behind for whenever Hisui wishes to visit her father. Housing and food will be provided, and relief will come after a week. Lock the shuttle up, and just stay on standby in a place where the Princess can find you at all times. The shuttle should have more than enough fuel, and has been freshly maintenanced before arriving here. Hisui has already been notified of the plan, so just go inside after you finish inspection. Daily inspections for any issues, and a new one can be delivered if need be." The two soldiers saluted boefre going about their duties. The man turned to Lucy.

"Wow, you really know what you're doing." She spoke in awe at the ease of which he assumed control. Natsu gave a sheepish smile.

"It came with time and a lot of mistakes." He chuckled as he began to walk away. Lucy quickly fell in behind him as he walked towards a smaller ship.

"Right. So you meant what you said right? About meeting Erza and Mirajane?" She spoke as the canopy on the ship hissed open and the man began to climb up. Natsu turned back to her and nodded.

"Absolutely. Hop in." He motioned to the rear seat in the smaller ship. He held out a hand, which Lucy took after several moments, and helped the blonde in to her seat. Once she was seated and buckled in, Natsu took his seat and closed the canopy. The console in front of him lit up as he pressed several buttons, and Lucy felt her heart jump in her chest as the ship suddenly lifted from the ground with a low whine, before turning in a random direction and launching off smoothly in to the night. "We should be there in about twenty minutes." Natsu spoke calmly. Lucy nodded as she watched the ground fly by beneath them. She turned her gaze from the ground to the stars, opting to watch them instead. She wasn't sure if it was the calming feeling of the stars, or the rocking of the ship, or the warmth that seemed to flood the cockpit, but she soon nodded off.

* * *

Natsu sighed as he looked at the sleeping blonde in his ship. Logic said that he should shake her awake, and he had tried, but the woman slept like she was in a coma. Natsu reasoned that there was perhaps still a tranqualizer in her system causing her to sleep so heavily. He could just leave her there, but that would require him to either leave his canopy open for birds to get in, or leave his systems running so that she didn't suffocate, which would drain his batteries. Given that he didn't exactly have a bunch on hand, he just decided to do the thing that would cause his girlfriends the most ire. Unbuckling her harness, which he would not admit to enjoying, he lifted the sleeping blonde from her seat before hopping from the top of his ship, desperately wishing that the jostling would have waken her up.

No luck.

Sighing once more, the man hoisted her in to a bridal carry, only grunting when she wrapped an arm around him and nestling in to his neck, and started towards the rear entrance of the guild. He was smart enough to land in the back of the guild, though he hoped that nobody would need the training field tomorrow morning. He got to the door, and was relieved to find it unlocked, and guided himself off of his memory towards the infirmary. From what Mara had sent him, it was where she and Amanda would be staying for now until housing could be established. Natsu idly wondered if his cottage was still standing, or if it had crumbled to time and nature. He gently nudged open the infirmary door, only to sigh in relief as he saw the two women asleep in their beds. He trudged over to an empty bed and tried his best to pry Lucy's grasp from around his neck, succeeding after a minute of struggle, only to stand and turn around and nearly gasp when two pairs of eyes, one glowing blue, stared at him in tired amusement.

"Took you long enough." Amanda grumbled. Natsu sighed as he walked over and sat on Amanda's bed, while Mara crept out of her bed and sat next to Amanda. Natsu looked to the two women and sighed before planting a small kiss on each of their foreheads.

"I know. I had political things to do." He grumbled sleepily, sighing in relief when he felt Mara's hand begin to rub the tense muscles in his neck.

"I know how that goes." She spoke gently as she stood up, gesturing Natsu to do the same. The pink haired man did so without question, and Amanda soon followed, and the three helped Natsu remove his armour. He knew he could have just had Specter store it for him, but this had become a nightly ritual for the three. A sort of ritual for all three of them to confirm that the day was in fact over, and that it was time for sleeping. Soon, Natsu stood in his basic under armour, and the two women were guiding the man to the showers in the next room. Natsu sighed as he sat down on the bench in the showers while Mara went over and got thw water started. She rejoined the two former Vanguard members, and soon the three were stripped bare, each taking a turn under the spray of hot water in the simple practise of cleaning. Natsu sighed as Mara gently scrubbed his back, enjoying the small act of intimacy with her. Soon he moved to Amanda, aiding in washing the blonde in the places she couldn't reach, and soon the three were done. They dried themselves off, silently enjoying the company present, and they all changed in to their sleepware. Mara and Amanda both opted to wear one of Natsu's stored shirts, and Mara had the foresight to bring a few clean pairs of underwear. Amanda thanked whatever deity out there that her and Mara were the same size, and then thanked them again when she saw Natsu in his boxer shorts with no shirt on. She had seen him naked more times then she could count, but he still had the silent ability to make her mouth water slightly with every hard ridge of muscle and flesh. She coughed lightly, clearing her head, and caught the attention of Mara and Natsu. The three looked down to the bed, noting that all three of them wouldn't fit.

"What do we do about this?" She gestured to the issue. Mara sighed lightly.

"I dunno. I do know that I want to cuddle." She turned a stern gaze to Natsu, who only held his hands up.

"I have an idea." Amanda said, catching the duo's attention. She walked over to the previous bed that she had been occupying, and as silently as she could pushed the bed against the other, creating a larger bed. The two stared silently while the blonde went about roatating the matress, blowing a tuft of hair out of her face as she admired her work.

"Why'd you turn the mattresses like that?" Mara whispered, aware of the sleeping blonde across the infirmary. Natsu silently nodded to the Awoken woman's question.

"That way nobody would slip between the mattresses." Amanda huffed. Natsu and Mara shared a glance before shrugging and climbing in to the bed. Amanda walked to the other side and climbed in as well, both women snuggling up to rest on their borfriend's chest. Natsu planted a mall kiss on both of their heads, and soon the three were blissfully asleep.

* * *

"Someone take a picture before they wake up." A woman's voice hushed out, causing Natsu's ears to twitch. The man continued to feign sleep as he listened to the members of his guild that were attempting to be silent.

"That's not very manly to suggest." A deep voice grumbled lowly. Natsu felt Mara tensing against him, and gently squeezed her with the arm he had wrapped around her, causing the woman to calm. He heard several more murmurs before two very distinct voices began to speak.

"Why the hell are we watching them sleep?" The familiar voice of Mirajane Strauss chimed in, not at all attempting to be silent. There was a smacking sound followed by an indignant squawk of anger before Erza's voic could be heard.

"Master wanted to speak with Natsu, but nobody wants to wake him up and anger the short one." Natsu felt Mara tense, likely holding in giggles while they both knew that Erza was motioning to Amanda. Mira's snort rang out in the room.

"Like I'm going to be afraid of some little girl who's too dumb to take off her armour before bed." Both Natsu and Mara lost their amusement immediately. Amanda's leg was one of those topics that not many people were allowed to joke about, especially when the blonde didn't give express permission to do so. They were both startled moments later when said blonde sat up in their bed, yawning loudly and rubbing sleep from her eyes. Deciding to play along, both Natsu and Mara sat up as well, each exaggerating a yawn before Natsu turned to Amanda.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty good. Hey Specter?" The small Ghost chirped from above the bed. "Can you pass me my tool kit?" The small kit formed next to the blonde woman, who opened it up and pulled out a screwdriver. Everyone watched while the blonde undid several screws on her leg, before sliding the whole assembly off, leaving only the bone cover and filtration technology visible. Several gasps echoed from the uninvited guests in the room as Amanda locked eyes with Mirajane, a furious glare on her face.

"Hey-" The white haired woman tried to speak, only for Amanda to cut her off.

"Yeah. I'm the idiot for not taking it off." She turned her glare to Natsu, who placed a placating hand on her shoulder, causing the blonde to let out a shakey sigh. "Can we go yet? I have yet to see this family you talked so much about at the Tower."

"Sure." Natsu said gently. "I'll have the Awoken deliver some supplies, and you can catch a shuttle back. I need to speak with Parsix as well."

"Thanks." Amanda sighed out, slipping her leg back on and tightening back down the screws. She stood abruptly from the bed, grabbed her clothes from the stand beside it, and moved smoothly towards the bathroom. Mara followed right behind, brushing by the group with a heated glare, and entered the bathroom as well. Natsu stood moments later, snapping his fingers as Specter equipped his clothing and armour, before turning to the group.

"Nice. Why don't you guys just go ahead and insult someone I love some more?"

"Natsu I-" Erza tried to speak, only for the man's glare to silence her.

"I don't care. In her first 24 hours on this planet, all you have done is insult her and belittle her. Did any of you stop to think about anything you just said, or is there no such thing as a filter for you?" Natsu snapped his glare to Mira, who could only stare at the ground in silent shame. "For years, I spoke to her about my family here. About how kind and loving they all were, and the fact that she has had yet to see it makes me wonder if it's still real..." The man finished before walking to the bathroom door as well. "Now if you'll all excuse me, I have to go console my crying girlfriend." The man uttered before slamming the door behind him.

"Well so much for a happy welcome back." Erza sighed before turning to the rest of the group. "All of you go about your business. Master wants to speak with Natsu, and I doubt he really wants to talk to anyone else right now. I shall go inform Master of what has transpired." Erza ordered. The group all shuffled out, any semblance of a happy mood gone as they exited back in to the hall.

* * *

"Amanda..." Natsu sighed as he gently rubbed her back, the blonde woman not letting out more than the occasional ragged breath or sniffle. The blonde shook her head to prevent him from speaking any further, which the man picked up on with a sigh. He turned a pleading eye to Mara, who only nodded before grabbing the blonde and dragging her to cry on her shoulder. Amanda went with no resistance, and soon the Awoken woman was whispering gentle words to the blonde woman as she gently rocked back and forth. Natsu placed a hand on his forehead and sighed.

Today had started out just absolutely wonderful.

"I promise they aren't normally this hostile." Natsu spoke gently as he placed a kiss on Amanda's cheek. The blonde just let out a weak nod before slumping further against Mara. The Awoken woman looked to the man and nodded towards the door. Natsu nodded, understanding the signal perfectly. He still had to speak with Makarov, and he had a feeling that it was going to be a seperate headache.

Just wonderful.

"Erza tells me that you three had a rude awakening?" Makarov spoke from behind his desk, eyes glancing over a report of some sort. The man grabbed his pen and scribbled something before setting it aside and grabbing another report.

"Yeah. I guess you can call Mira insulting my girlfriend's size and prosthetic leg to her face a rude awakening." Natsu said flatly. Makarov frowned, not having heard that detail from Erza. "Oh and I just love the greeting party gathered at the foot of my bed, staring at us while we slept. Glad Mara didn't have her gun." Natsu mused silently. Makarov stood from his seat and walked over to the frowning pink haired man.

"I'm sorry my boy, but this let's talk business for now."

"Agreed." The pink haired man nodded.

"That girl you brought with you, the other blonde, who is she?"

"Her name is Lucy Heartfilia. I picked her up from a slaver's ship after getting him and his crew to surrender. She came along with me and the royal family to my ship, and I kinda forgot she was there until she was awake. Come to find out that she wants to be a member of the guild, and that she was someone from my own past." The man trailed off.

"From when you were a kid?" Makarov asked, a bushy brow raised. Natsu shook his head.

"Before that. Turns out her family has been a part of my life for a very long time."

"How long?"

"Would you believe me if I said that I was over 400 years old?"

"What?" Makarov asked plainly. Natsu nodded and crossed his arms.

"Yeah. Igneel made a deal and he, along with several other dragons and slayers, came forward in time about 400 years. Turns out, the Heartfilia family has been in charge of the gate that brought us here."

"What kind of magic could do that?" Makarov asked in wonder.

"Ever heard of the Eclipse Gate?" Natsu got his answer when Makarov's eyes widened.

"Only terrible things. It was created by Zeref for whatever reason." Makarov turned his gaze to Natsu when the man pointed to himself.

"The dragons and their children were the reason." Natsu corrected. Makarov nodded for a moment before turning back to the young man.

"But why?"

"I'm not too sure." Natsu lied smoothly. "All I know is what Igneel told me, and Igneel admitted to not knowing much. His, and the other dragons' reason for coming here was completely selfish. Whatever Zeref had planned, he either didn't tell Igneel, or Igneel wasn't paying attention."

"So does that mean you found your father?" Makarov asked, changing topic. Natsu nodded, while rubbing his chest.

"Yeah. Or at least I found a part of him. Turns out that he sealed part of himself in me, or maybe my magic imprinted him to my soul, but now I can talk to him whenever I want to." Natsu spoke. It was too early for the full truth, and the man had his priorities elsewhere with his girlfriends. He could explain everything later, or never. Maybe nobody needed to know about Natsu's true relaltion to Zeref, as well as his place in the man's schemes. "But that's something we can talk about later. What do you want to do about Lucy?"

"You brought her!" Makarov explained. "Why should I have to do anything with the brat?"

"Because I'm not even sure if I'm still a member of the guild, given that I've died a few times." Natsu shrugged. "I'm not too sure if I need to renew anything or if I just keep going as is."

"My boy," Makarov sighed. "Of course you're a member of this guild, not because of your mark, but because you're a part of this family. You are now, and you always will be."

"Thanks gramps." Natsu sighed. "Now if only I could Mara and Amanda to feel the same way..." Natsu was brought from his thoughts when Makarov sighed.

"I truly am sorry, Natsu." Makarov spoke, placing a hand on the man's knee. "I didn't know that you would all be treated so rudely. I could understand their fascination, but to so carelessly disregard your privacy, it is just unacceptable." The man sighed. "I had hoped that they would have shown respect for you and your party, but it seems as if they need to be taught a lesson in respect once more." The man spoke ominously. Natsu scoffed for a moment, catching the old man's interest.

"Perhaps I can be of some help then." Natsu spoke calmly. Makarov put a hand to his chin in thought. While he could easily show the brats the lesson they needed to learn, forcefully, it would eny them the experience they needed. Some of his children had grown arrogant, and perhaps Natsu would be able to humble them.

"What do you have in mind?" Makarov asked, a single bushy brow raised. Natsu leaned back in his seat, a small grin upon his lips.

"A spar with a bet. Mira was the one who started this morning off on such a sour note, so how about I spar against her. I haven't gotten to work myself out since I got here, and would definitely like the opportunity to test myself."

"I suppose it would be good to test you." Makarov hummed thoughtfully. If Natsu won, then Mira would be humbled, and if Mira won, Makarov would have a good gauge of the man's power. "Tell me what you have in mind for this bet."

"Do you have a pretty pink dress in her size?" Natsu's grin turned feral, and Makarov couldn't help but match it.

* * *

"What do you think they're talking about up there?" Elfman turned to Jet and Droy, who could only shrug. Gray sat next to the man, seemingly still silent from whatever Natsu had done to his mind. The four were interrupted by Mira snorting once more.

"Who knows? Probably just Master asking what those two girls look like naked." Mira snorted, nodding her head to the silent blonde and Awoken woman seated at the bar. Both had a plate of food in front of them, though neither had taken to doing more than picking at it while they waited for Natsu to finish his meeting. Mira turned her gaze to the blonde seated several tables over, all alone, before calling out to her. "Oi! Blondie!" Mira smirked at seeing the blonde turn a timid glance her way. "What's your name?"

"Lucy." The blonde spoke nervously, a bead of sweat going down her cheek as the S-class mage stared at her.

"Well, Lucy." Mira started. "It seems as if Natsu brought you in, so tell me a bit about what you two were doing before he brought you here."

"W-well..." Lucy began in thought, her mind reeling in effort to remember everything that had happened the previous day. "I was taken by some slavers in Hargeon. They drugged me, and when I woke up, I was on his ship."

"You were taken by slavers?" A small blue haired girl spoke next to her. Lucy turned to lock her gaze with the small woman, seemingly surrounded by books of all types, before nodding.

"Yeah. I guess Natsu was hired to bring them in. I wasn't awake for it though, but when I did wake up, I was taken from the transport ship in to another room. Some of the people like her," Lucy gestured to Mara. "Asked me a bunch of questions. About ten minuts later, this man with pink hair and armour and the Princess of Fiore were sitting across from me. He asked me a bunch of questions, and then he called you guys."

"Yeah." Mira spoke, remembering the conversation she and Erza briefly had with the blonde woman over Amanda's tablet before a fight broke out. "I remember that. Wait!" Mira exclaimed suddenly. "You said the Princess was there?"

"Yeah." Lucy nodded quickly.

"As in Princess Hisui E. Fiore?" The blue haired woman next to her spoke. Lucy nodded once more, and the crowd fell silent in thought.

What was Natsu doing with a member of the royal family of Fiore?

"Yeah. After we talked, he took us all back to the palace, where he loaded me in to his ship, and we came back here. I don't remember coming in, so I must've fallen asleep and he brought me in..." Lucy finished with a light blush.

"What was it like?" The blue haired woman asked her excitedly. "I saw it, and saw him leave in it, but I can only imagine what it was like to fly. What did it feel like? Were you scared?"

"It went by so fast." Lucy admitted. "The ground just flew by so fast that I couldn't focus on anything before it was long gone. I wonder how fast we were going..." Lucy trailed off weakly. The blue haired woman nodded before speaking once more.

"You could always ask Natsu."

"He's busy though." Lucy countered. The blue haired woman nodded before pointing to the two women at the bar.

"But I'm sure they'd know. They did come here with him."

"That's true..." Lucy spoke to herself, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Thank you..."

"Levy." The woman spoke as she offered Lucy a hand. "Levy McGarden."

"Thank you Levy." Lucy spoke as she grabbed the hand, surprised when Levy used it to pull herself up to stand next to the blonde.

"Think nothing of it. I'm curious to learn some of the things they use as well." The petite woman said, her eyes gleaming as she considered the knowledge at hand. With a nod, the two walked towards the forlorne blonde and simmering Awoken woman. When they reached several meters, both gazes locked on to the two approaching, and Mara's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"What do you want?" She hissed. Lucy and Levy both cowered slightly at her tone, but Lucy pressed on.

"I wanted to thank Natsu for saving me." Lucy began meekly, noticing both women had lessened their glare at the mention of the man. "And we both also had some questions about your ships."

"What do you want to know?" The blonde seated next to the Awoken woman spoke.

"How about your names?" Levy supplied with a weak smile. the blonde and Awoken made eye contact for a moment before nodding.

"Mara Sov." The blue skinned woman said.

"Amanda Holiday." The blonde suppled weakly, returning her gaze to the bar.

"I'm Lucy." Lucy spoke calmly while gesturing to Levy. "And this is Levy McGarden. Pleased to meet you both."

"You aren't from here, are you." Amanda spoke suddenly. Lucy turned to her in confusion.

"Pardon?"

"This guild. You aren't a part of it, are you?" Amanda spoke calmly. Lucy gulped nervously before shaking her head.

"I'm not."

"I can tell." Amanda huffed as she turned back to the bar. "You're nice. So far, everyone here has been nosey, rude, or just plain cruel."

"That's not true." Levy protested weakly. "I'm a part of this guild and I can tell you for certain that nobody here is-"

"Mirajane Strauss." Mara supplied calmly. Levy bit her cheek as she fell silent.

"She isn't mean." Levy spoke quietly. "At least not always. I don't know why she's acting the way she is now. She usually isn't this bad..." Levy finished weakly. Mara and Amanda both snorted.

"You only get a first impression once." Mara spoke calmly, though Levy and Lucy could both hear the anger in her tone.

"And this place has done a shitty job so far." Amanda spoke loudly enough for most people in the guild to hear it, though none dared to speak out about it.

Almost everyone.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Nearly everyone groaned when Mirajane's voice echoed across the guildhall. Mara and Amanda both turned to the white haired woman with a glare.

"You heard me you pompous cunt!" Amanda shouted. "All you've done since we got here is insult us. We've all tried to be friendly and kind, because Natsu asked us to, and you've all invaded our space and insulted us and our abilities!"

"It isn't our fault that you seem to have an attitude that I don't like." Mira countered, arms crossed as she glared at the duo. "Maybe you should do something about that before calling us shitty people!"

"How fucking dare you!" Mara bristled, eyes glowing a furious shade of purple as she stood from her seat. Mira stood as well and began to rapidly cross the guild, before a large hand intercepted her. She struggled in the giant grip as she glared daggers at the owner of said hand.

"Let me go Master! I need to teach that bitch a lesson!" The white haired woman struggled in vain.

"It is you who needs the lesson, brat!" The booming voice of Makarov echoed over the silent guildhall. Mira stopped struggling long enough to stare at the man in shock.

"You can't be serious?! They come in here and judge us like they know us, like they have any right to judge us, and you expect me to sit by let them do it?"

"No." Makarov spoke as he released the girl, standing in front of her to prevent her from going after the two women again. "No I wouldn't expect you stand by for something like that, but you forget something very important. These people aren't from here. They aren't even from this planet, and yet you expect them to show up here, their first show of civilization on this planet, and not have questions about us?"

"I suppose not." Mira spoke weakly before turning her glare back to the two women. "I guess I can let it slide, so long as they remember who is in charge." The woman threatened, causing both Mara and Amanda glared evilly at the woman before a familiar voice echoed across the guild.

"Yeah. Me." Everyone turned to see Natsu walking calmly to stand behind the guild master, blocking Mira's view of the two women. At least as far as those two, and any I brought with me are concerned. Any qualms you have with them, bring to me." The man crossed his arms as he leveled a steady gaze on the white haired woman. Mirajane sneered as she glared at the pink haired man.

"And what, you think because you went off and got yourself a couple of pieces of ass that makes you hot shit? I bet I could wipe the floor with your armoured ass."

"I'll take that bet." Natsu spoke calmly, causing Mira to pause and frown at the man.

"What?"

"You heard me." Natsu spoke to the woman. "You and me, out back right now."

"Fine!" Mira broke away and stormed out of the guild hall, likely to the training ground in the back. Natsu turned to the two women, nodding his head as the two stood and followed him out behind the guild as well. The rest of the guild sat in silence for a moment before the voice of Cana echoed out.

"Five thousand jewels on Mira!"

The bets began to echo out, mostly in favor of Mirajane, as the rest of the guild poured out in to the training field.

* * *

"So." Natsu spoke calmly as he eyed Mira. "You said this was a bet. What do you want to wager."

"I'll assume you want me to apologize to them." Mira nodded her head to his girlfriends. "But what do you have to give me?"

"Hmm..." Natsu hummed, tapping a finger to his chin for a moment before snapping his fingers. "If we're going to be betting, let's go heavy with our bets."

"What are you thinking?" Mira spoke, a delicate brow raised.

"You win, you get that." Natsu gestured behind him to his ship, causing both Amanda and Mara to protest immediately. Natsu shot them both a grin, causing them to fall silent, before Mira spoke.

"That ship? Fine, but you also have to teach me how to fly it."

"Deal. Now, if I win..." Natsu paused ominously before his grin became feral. "Not only do you apologize, but you spend the next year in the guild, running the bar."

"That's it?"

"Far from it." Natsu grinned as he motioned over to Makarov, who had Elfman holding a pink ball gown. "You have to wear that for your entire service, and you aren't allowed to act like you are now. You will learn to be kind and sweet, and that will be your attitude for the next year."

"Deal." Mira spoke as she fell in to a fighting stance. "Any rules you want to follow?"

"Well I guess we'll do this in three rounds. Use whatver powers you have, and come at me like you want to kill me. With everything on the line, don't you dare hold back." Natsu spoke as his Ghost appeared before him. "Scout rifle and my armour."

"Affirmative Natsu." The Ghost spoke before the rifle appeared in Natsu's hand, his armour covering his form, topped off by his helmet and dark green cloak. Mira gulped silently before shaking her head and nodding to the man.

"Fine." She spoke simply as she was enveloped in dark magic, her form obscured for a moment before it cleared away to reveal the woman in a white and blue overcoat, yellow horns adorning her crown while she gave a smirk to Natsu, who loaded the rifle and stood before her.

"Are you ready, Strauss?" Natsu asked simply.

"Your ship is gonna look good in black." The woman sneered. Both stared at eachother for a moment before jumping in to action.

Mirajane rushed forward, only to leap to the side as the ground in front of her exploded as Natsu fired several rounds at her feet. She recovered quickly, and lunged once more at the guardian, closing the distance as she brought a fist back, only to flinch when the man was standing directly in front of her. She saw him draw the rifle back before it came forward and her vision went white. Her ears were ringing, and she felt the ground beneath against her back, as well as a boot on her chest. She glared up at Natsu as he aimed the rifle at her face. He fired thre rounds around her head, each kicking up dirt in to the woman's face and causing her to wince as the noise rocked her senses. The clearing fell silent for a moment as the woman opened her eyes once more and glared at the reflective visor gazing back at her.

"That's once that I've killed you." The man's voice echoed out from his helmet's speaker. Mira sat up with a huff when he lifted his boot from her and stood back. She pulled herself from the ground quickly and glared at the man.

"Luck shot. Won't happen again."

"I'm sure." Natsu's voice spoke calmly as he readied himself once more. Mira shot a magic blast at the man, satisfied to see the man dodge to the right. Quick to not give him another chance to ready his weapon, she continued to fire blast after blast of music after him. She quickly grew angered at how easily the man seemed to dodge her attacks. She began to give chase as he began to leap backwards before taking to the air, a burst of fire from his back keeping him in the air. Mira took advantage of his position and appeared behind him, slamming both of her hands in to the man and launching him back down to the ground. She quickly landed on his prone form, bringing a magically charged fist up, prepared to strike him with it.

"This round is yours." Natsu voice spoke out once more, causing Mira to frown. For someone who had just had the shit knocked out of him, he sounded unharmed. She let the man stand back up, watching as he check his weapon once more before the two stared each other down.

"Why aren't you using your magic?" Mira questioned. Natsu paused for a moment before falling back in to a ready position.

"Don't need it." The man spoke simply.

"What do you mean you don't need it?" Mira bristled. "Are you telling me that you've been holding back this whole time?"

"Yep." The man spoke once more. "Can we get this moving? I've got some things that I'd like to do today."

"You mother-" Mira was interrupted by once more having to dodge to the side as the ground in front of her exploded once more.

"Less talking more fighting!" Natsu exclaimed. Mira huffed before charging her attacks once more, this time with much more power. Maybe he'd start taking her seriously if he understood how strong her magic was. She fired volley after volley at the man, only to huff when he seemed to dodge her even easier. Sitri was her strongest soul, and it still seemed like he wasn't taking her seriously.

Natsu nearly sighed in boredom as he dodged another volley. Did she realize how slow her attacks were? He supposed not as she continued to fire at him. Perhaps it had something to do with him having learned to dodge bullets in the Vanguard, or a very in depth understanding of physics, but whatever it was, he was nearly bored to tears in fighting her. Sure, she was fast, faster than Saxxon or Cayde, but that speed was physical. She would have had better luck fighting him in hand to hand, where her speed would matter, but she wanted to keep him at a distance. She projected all of her attacks, and became even sloppier in her rage. Her spells weren't as fast as her physical movements, so it didn't matter how fast she was. He frowned as her attacks stopped for a moment as the white haired demon shot a furious glare at the man. Natsu felt his heart sink when she turned to her left, firing a single spell towards the unsuspecting duo of women, who were momentarily distracted by Lucy and Levy. Natsu cursed everything as he forced light through his figure and launched himself towards them.

* * *

"And that's the speed of sound." Amanda explained. Lucy nodded, somewhat lost, while Levy had taken to writing down everything she could that the blonde had spoken.

"Amazing. And you said your ships can travel several times that?" Levy spoke eagerly. Amanda nodded, a small smile on her face. It wasn't often that she could talk about the physics that went in to ships, so she was glad to find someone here who was interested. The little blue haired woman seemed to grasp it all relatively easily as well, asking questions that even Amanda was hard pressed to remember.

"Right. Ours can go upwards of thirty times faster than the speed of sound. At least that's how fast we can go on the surface of the planet. Any faster, and the pilots could suffer adverse affects. In space, however, we have what's called subspace travel. Opens a wormhole and we travel through that. Using it, we covered about four years of travle in a week." The woman spoke. Lucy was totally lost, but nodded. Levy stared in awe at the blonde.

"Can you please teach me about all of this?"

"Don't you all have some sort of knowledge on physics?" Mara asked, turning to the blue haired woman. Levy nodded, but sighed as well.

"We do, but your understanding of the universe and it's mechanics makes our knowledge look primitive. I've spent my whole life learning, and for you all to come along and show me that there was so much I still have yet to learn is awe inspiring."

"I guess I could show you a thing or two." Amanda puffed out proudly, a smirk on her face. Levy was about to speak again, but a loud boom interrupted them. All eyes turned, gasping when they saw a plume of smoke standing several meters in front of them. Everyone turned to see the grinning Mira as she landed on the ground and slowly walked towards the plume.

"Got you." She spoke simply, only to pause when she heard a low growl from the cloud. Everyone gasped to see Natsu walking out of the plume, armour scuffed and dirty, but unharmed. He cracked his neck, looking down at his now destroyed rifle before tossing it to the side. He pulled a knife from his vest and entered a combat stance as he stared at the white haired mage.

Mira raised a single brow, prepared to taunt the man, before he was suddenly on her. She barely dodged his first swipe for her throat, ducking just in time for his knife to trim a small amount of hair from her head. She kicked away from him and backpeddled, only to shiver when he was suddenly enveloped in a deep purple aura. She turned her gaze to Mara, who had both hands in front of her as her face twisted in concentration. Her glowing purple eyes snapped to Mirajane.

"Run!" The purple woman spoke as Natsu began to slowly advance on her, fighting the Awoken woman's hold. She frowned before standing once more and taking a combat stance. She was about to lunge, when Amanda suddenly stepped in front of the man.

"I'm right here, Natsu. Mara and I are fine! You can stop now." Her pleads were met with a low growl as the man stared at her. The aura seemed to vanish from him, but the man took advantage of that and lunged towards the white haired mage once more. Mira watched the knife approaching her in seemigly slow motion. She could see the blade coming, aimed directly for her throat once more, but she could do nothing to dodge it. She felt something slam in to her side before she was thrown to the ground, turning quickly to see Mara diverting the man's attack. He growled out in fury before slipping his knife back in to his vest. Mara walked up to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder and pulling the knife from his vest. She tucked it in to her belt before meeting the man's shielded gaze.

"Better?"

"Good enough to not kill her." Natsu growled out. "But she needs to learn a lesson." Mara nodded before jogging over to Amanda and grabbing her hand, dragging the blonde off the field. Mirajane watched the two leave before turning her gaze to the armoured man, shuddering at his stance. He was poised to kill her just now, and the realization that was startling. Standing up once more, the woman attempted to speak to the man.

"I didn't mean to-"

"Shut up." He snapped. "Let's finish this." His words, so simple, had her terrified in a way she hadn't felt in so long. She could swear that she saw his green eyes glowing through his visor. Swallowing her fear, she resumed her combat stance.

The fight didn't last more than a minute after that.

He was on her before she could blink. His hits were stronger than anything she had felt, her bones creaking with every strike. He planted a fist in the center of her chest, breaking her stance, before a boot found it's way in to her gut. Her breath was forcefully evacuated from her lungs as she felt a hand, grip like steel, grab on to her hair. She looked up in time to see that reflective visor close in quickly before a loud crunch echoed in her head.

She would realize later that it was her nose breaking.

Her head snapped back, and she felt a fist in her cheek. She spun to the ground, her cheek already swelling as she turned her gaze to the man that was looking at her. Her blood was spattered across his visor, and it only seemed to amplify her opinion of her opponent. She had vastly underestimated this man. No, this wan't a man she was fighting.

This was a monster.

And she wasn't fighting it. She was being killed by it. Slowly and painfully, this beast was pulling her apart, and she couldn't stop it. She vaguely heard voices shouting from the sidelines, her master and brother easily recognizable. She could also see Mara and Amanda doing everything to convince the man to stop, but all went unheeded. Makarov was keeping the guild from intervening, lest they be injured as well, and Mara and Amanda knew better. Mira let her head fall back to the ground, staring at the sky. The clouds were so peaceful and the sky was so blue.

How many people got to see something so beautiful before their demise, her brain morbidly wondered.

Her question was soon replaced when she felt a weight settle on her chest, and a grip once more returned to her hair. She was forced to meet the visored man's gaze, cold and inhuman, as he straddled her chest and brought his other fist to her face. The first one snapped her head to the side, though not too far with his grip on her hair. She felt her swollen cheek split open, blood flooding her mouth. Her gaze was snapped to his once more as he drew his fist back again and struck. She was almost positive that she felt the hit before he actually connected, or maybe her brain was slow to process it. Her eye was swollen shut by the time he snapped her vision back to himself once more.

It seems as if that last hit had also knocked some of the blood from her mouth out, as his visor was absolutely covered in it. He brought his fist back once more, but it was caught before it could come down once more. A sobbing Amanda held his arm at bay, while Mara did her best to pry Mirajane from the man's grip. Natsu relented after a moment, wrapping his arms around Amanda before his actions seemed to catch up with him. Mira was blissfully unconscious before she could hear the fallout from the spar turned attempted murder.

* * *

"You nearly killed her."

"I know." She heard the familiar voice, though her head was too fuzzy to clearly identify it. Her eyes hurt, and her ears were ringing. "I saw her go after Amanda and Mara, and something just snapped in me."

"I'm not saying you were in the wrong for your anger." The voice spoke once more. "I'm just saying that you need to control it better. You could have ended that fight at any time, but you insisted on playing with her. She picked up on that, and felt slighted. She responded in how she felt would best hurt you, and you responded in retaliation."

"I did." The voice admitted. She felt something resting over her face, encompassing her mouth and nose. She heard a steady beeping sound, and the world slowly started to become clearer. She started to remember things.

She had been fighting.

She had targeted people who were with the man she was fighting. They were innocent.

He took the attack meant for them.

He nearly beat her to death.

She was sure that he hadn't killed her. The fact that she could hear him, as well as the fact that she was in constant pain told her that she wasn't blessed by the sweet embrace of death. She was just close to it. It took all of her effort to open her eyes, well eye, but she was blessed with the dim lighting of the guild's infirmary. She looked around, noticing the new machines that she was connected to, as well as the myriad of tubes and bags that were connected to her. That explained why her arms were sore.

She saw Natsu and Makarov, both in hushed conversation at the foot of her bed, and tried her best to focus on what they were saying once more.

"Mara and Amanda both want to make sure she's okay." Natsu spoke calmly. Makarov hummed for a moment before sighing.

"Is it wise to let these three interact? They can't seem to get along for any reason..." The man finished. Natsu sighed as well.

"I'm not sure. I know that Amanda and Mara can be civil, our previous jobs demanded it, but I don't know about Mira. I can only hope that she is too tired to be angry."

"I had given you this opportunity to gauge your powers, as well as perhaps breaking my children of their arrogance. This was not what I had expected."

"I get you on that. I thought I had myself under control, but perhaps it is time for me to meditate upon my own failure and figure out where I went wrong." Natsu sighed. Makarov pat the man on the side.

"I understand, my boy. Take your time. I'll be in my office if you need me, will you stay here?"

"Yes." Natsu spoke calmly. "I did this to her, so it's only fair that I be here to apologize to her when she wakes up."

"Very well." Makarov spoke. "Elfman has already forgiven you, but I dread to think of what Lisanna may do to you."

"Yeah..." Natsu sighed as the man exited the room, leaving him alone. "I think she may be the most frightening person I've come across so far..."

"That's hurtful." Mira wheezed from her bed. Natsu snapped his gaze to her before rushing over to her bedside.

"Mira! I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened to me-"

"I targeted the women you love, and you made me regret that." Mira chuckled, before wincing. "Can't say I blame you, though I really wish you didn't hit me so hard." The woman groaned as she rested her head on her pillow. She heard Natsu sigh before he grabbed her hand in his.

"I really am sorry. It's just that those two... I don't know what I would do without them. They kept me sane and stable over the last four years, and to see something so close to taking them from me..." Natsu trailed off. Mira tightened her grip on his hand.

"Tell me a bit about it." Mira wheezed. Natsu fell silent for a moment before holding a hand up and pressing it against her forehead.

"I'll show you instead." Mira didn't get a chance to reply when she felt her entire body become warm as Natsu channeled his light in to her. Her mind was overtaken by the memories he showed her. A simple drink between the three. A dinner between two of them. A small birthday celebration. The taste of apples and cinnamon, as well as honey whiskey. All of it came at once, and Mira couldn't stop the stray tears that ran down her cheeks as the emotions that Natsu felt flooded her at the same time. When he finished, he gently pulled his hand away from her head, and Mira couldn't help but whine at how cold she suddenly felt.

"That was beautiful." Mira replied honestly. Natsu nodded and gave her a small smile.

"I know. That's how I feel about those two. They mean the world to me." The man sighed gently, and was surprised when Mirajane suddenly gripped his hand in her own.

"I've never felt anything like that before, so... Thank you." She replied slowly. Natsu nodded once more and squeezed her hand.

"No problem. Do you want to talk to them? They seem pretty eager to see that you're not dead." The man chuckled in embarassment.

"I guess I did lose the bet." Mirajane huffed, shooting the man a small smile afterwards. "And I was being kind of a bitch. Can you go get them for me?"

"Sure." Natsu held up his tablet and typed several commands on to it before putting it away and looking back at Mira.

"Well?" The woman asked, her brow twitching slightly.

"Well what?" Natsu asked, a confused expression on his face.

"Well can you go get them for me?"

"Can you say please?" Natsu taunted lightly. Mira growled, but Natsu quickly began to waggle a finger in her face. "Nuh uh! You lost the bet, and have to be sweet and kind and nice for the next year." Natsu grinned at her baffled expression before the most unexpected thing happened.

Mirajane Strauss began to tear up.

Natsu couldn't stop his shocked expression when the powerful and evil Mirajane Strauss began to sniffle. The man seemed to trip over himself when the white haired woman let out several hiccups, fat tears pouring down her cheeks, before letting out a loud wail.

"How could you be so cruel?!" Natsu whipped around to see his girfriends crossing the room quickly, having recieved his message to enter. Natsu tried to explain himself, stuttering slightly before Mara's hand came across the back of his head.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Mara barked while Amanda walked over to the crying Strauss and drew her in to a hug.

"I didn't... I was just-"

"I was just asking him to go and get you so that I could apologize!" The woman wailed. "And he started talking about how he beat me and he'd do it again!" The woman sobbed in to Amanda's shoulder. Mara's hand found the back of his head again.

"Ow dammit!" Natsu groaned to the Awoken woman, who only glared at him.

"It isn't enough to beat her, you have to go and threaten her as well? If you think you are getting laid at all for the foreseeable future, then you are sorely mistaken." The woman growled in his ear. Natsu paled before turning to face her, then Amanda, who only nodded to the man with a glare. He felt himself stammer for what felt like hours as the blonde returned to hugging Mirajane, and Mara walked out of the infirmary. He looked after the Awoken woman, and then turned back to the blonde, only to meet the blue eyed gaze of Mirajane. Her eyes were dry, and she had an evil grin on her face while making huffing noise and sniffles in Amanda's ear. That's when realization struck him.

She set him up.

Natsu ground his teeth as the woman smirked at him, before pointing to the bed next to her, catching the white haired woman's attention. She paled when she came across the elegant pink ballgown from earlier, carefully laid out across the bed. He walked out with some satisfaction when he saw that some of her tears were real this time.

* * *

"Where is the bastard who almost killed my sister?!" Natsu walked out to the angered shouting of a voice so familiar to him. He noticed a crowd around the cause of such noise, and could just barely make out white hair. Every shout was paired with some poor soul being launched out from the crowd. Natsu leaned against the infirmary door as he decided to let the scene in front of him play out. "Was it you, Gray?!" This was paired with a nearly naked man flying from the group and landing in front of him. The ice-mage looked to the pink haired man and scowled, but stayed silent when Natsu made a hush gesture.

"You should do something to stop her." Gray whispered. Natsu turned his gaze back to the crowd once more.

"Who's doing all of this?" Natsu looked to the paling face of the ice-mage, who only whispered a single word.

"Lisanna..." Natsu's eyebrows nearly climbed in to his hairline at the name of his childhood friend. He turned his attention back to the crowd as an angered roar echoed across the guild.

"I want to know where the hell the idiot who dared to hurt my sister is hiding! Where are you, coward?!" She roared out. Everyone stood silently by as the woman huffed for a moment, only for everyone to turn their heads when a voice responded.

"And I would love to know what happened to that sweet girl who claimed herself as my future wife."

Lisanna felt her breath seize in her chest as she turned towards the source of the voice. The crowd quickly parted to reveal the pink haired man from her childhood. He had grown, nearly standing a full foot taller than her. His muscles had bulked, almost to the point of being the same build as Laxus, and he had foregone his old outfit. Now he stood in royal purple armour, hints of gold trim catching the light just right in her opinion. His face had thinned out a bit, and she couldn't help but compare him to the image that she had made of what he would look like. While it didn't look like what she had expected, she couldn't deny that she liked it.

A lot.

She snapped back to reality when she noticed he was walking towards her, slowly and patiently, while staring directly in to her eyes. What was she going to say? Would she hit him, punch him and scream at him for leaving her alone? Or would she hug him and embrace him with everything she was, and let him know how much she had missed him? A more lewd part of her mind suggested she kiss him, and drag him off to a secluded room and have her way with him. She nearly choked on her own tongue at that last thought as she imagined how he would look naked.

For research of course.

He was standing before her. How had she not noticed? She craned her head up to look in to his eyes, noting that his eyes had considerably more green in them than she had remembered. She liked that. She noticed his mouth moving, and frowned. Was he talking? Was he saying anything to her? Had he just declared his undying love for her in front of the whole guild, just as she had always dreamed? Her mind began to buzz as she placed her hands on her cheeks and began to rock herself back and forth in place. She looked up once more, seeing his fanged grin, and the world around her went dark.

* * *

Natsu slapped a hand to his head in confusion. He had walked up and said hello to Lisanna, only for the girl to blush furiously, cover her cheeks, and then faint. He squawked indignantly as he caught the falling woman, turning to face the crowd of onlookers.

"What the hell just happened?" The man yelled frantically, staring at the awestruck members of the guild.

"How did you do that?" An orange haired man Natsu remembered as Loki asked. Natsu just looked between the sleeping girl in his arms and the orange haired man.

"Do what?"

"You quelled the Rampage..." Makarov's voice broke the stunned silence. Natsu turned to face the old man.

"What the hell are you talking about, gramps?"

"If Mirajane is the Demon, then Lisanna has more than earned her name as the Rampage." The man said sagely. Natsu looked on, seeing various members of the guild nodding along with the man, including Erza. Natsu turned his gaze back down to the woman, who had gripped on to his chestplate with a small smile.

"Sweet little Lisanna? I don't believe you guys." Natsu spoke as he stood up and carried the white haired woman to her sister in the infrimary.

"He's a fool." Cana whispered after the man shut the door behind himself as he entered the infirmary.

"No..." Makarov spoke, tears in his eyes, as everyone turned to him. "He's our saviour..." The man let out a sob as he thought of all of the damage he would be preventing by quelling the Rampage and Demon. In one day, he had saved his guild from two of the three biggest financial headaches. He turned his gaze to the side, noticing a certain redhead devour an entire cake, unaware of her surroundings.

Now if only Natsu could do something about Erza as well...

* * *

Got this chapter out pretty quickly. I've had a bit more time to write, and my writer's block is breaking away quite well. I know how the story ends, as well as key points I want to include to get there, but it's the filler that eats away at my mind.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and that it wasn't too boring for you.

Read and review,

Temper


	23. Chapter 23

Light

Chapter 23

* * *

The three women in the infirmary turned to the door opening, only for all of them to sigh in annoyance when they spotted the familiar man that was Natsu Dragneel, with an unconscious Lisanna Strauss in his arms. He walked over and gently lie the woman down in the unoccupied bed next to her sister, before turning to the three women.

"I uh... I think I broke her." Natsu stated plainly. Mara let out a small chuckle while Amanda and Mira both sighed in annoyance.

"I can't leave you alone ever, can I?" Amanda huffed. Natsu just shrugged before Mirajane spoke up.

"So what did you do to my sister?" Mira asked, though she was nearly positive that she had an idea. After his supposed death, Lisanna had taken it the hardest, clinging on to the fact that his body had never been found. She would always state that deep in her heart, Natsu wasn't dead because he hadn't found Igneel and they hadn't been married. Mirajane let the girl hold on to the belief, opting to focus on her training while also moving in with Erza to Natsu's old house, while Lisanna took to training and searching for the man she loved. Mirajane frowned as she thought about the reaction that the woman would have to seeing Natsu's two girlfriends.

"I did nothing!" Natsu exclaimed, gaining Mira's attention once more. "I walked up to her and said hi, and she turned red and got all wobbly and then passed out. It looks like dehydration..." Natsu mused as he pressed a hand to Lisanna's forehead, ignoring the small smile that came to her face as she leaned in to his touch.

"Right..." Mira and Amanda both spoke at once, while Mara bit her fist to contain her laughter.

"Dehydration." Mira deadpanned while turning back to Amanda. "Was he always this dense with you?" The woman whispered.

"Not really." Amanda shook her head. "He was kind of a dick, with no tact, but I grew to fall for the guy. After a while though, he became really in tune with me. He was never really dense though." The blonde mused as she tapped her chin in thought. Mirajane turned her head to Mara, who only gave a shrug with a smile.

"Don't look at me. I tried to blow his brains out, then tried to blow him about five minutes later."

"How the fuck did that happen?" Mira practically yelled, catching herself at the last minute when Natsu yelped. Mirajane turned her gaze to the man, only to turn beet red when she saw her younger sister unconsiously gripping on to his hand and refusing to release it as she moaned quietly. She chuckled when she saw Natsu doing everything to pry his hand from her grasp, just short of gnawing off his hand, though the look in his eyes said he was considering it.

"Cute." Mara chimed, having taken the seat next to Mira's bed. "Anyway, it happened because he has an ability that I had never seen before."

"Is it that thing with the light?" Mira asked, gaining both Mara and Amanda's attention.

"How did you know?" Amanda asked, her sharp gaze locking on to the woman. Mirajane shrugged, at least the best she could from her position.

"He showed me. Everything about you three. Well..." The woman blushed as she remembered how he would skip the memories of them getting intimate. "Almost everything."

"And what do you think?" Mara asked calmly, a small smile on her face.

"I think I was being a bitch to you two for no reason." Mirajane stated as she looked at both women, making sure to make eye contact with them both. "He showed me just a bit of how much you all went through," She turned her gaze to Amanda, before drifting lower to her leg. "And I'm sorry for being as rude as I was."

"It's quite alright." Mara replied cooly, checking her nails before looking back to the bedridden woman. "I get how strange all of this can be, what with the man you all thought dead returning, and I understand that most people don't usually respond to strange things with kindness."

"Yeah." Mirajane stated with a frown. "But I'm not most people. I know damn well what it's like to be the strange one," Mirajane flinched as she remembered her childhood before joining the guild with her siblings. "And I thought I was good enough as a person to be accepting of people, but I guess I need some work..." The woman frowned. Everyone turned when the heard Natsu sigh in relief, waving his hand in fornt of himself and blowing on it.

"She's got one hell of a grip." The man groaned as he rubbed the sore appendage as he turned back to Mirajane. "And don't worry about being a better person. You're going to have plenty of practise while working at the bar." The man teased, successfully lightening the mood as the white haired woman pouted at him, eyes shimmering once more.

"You already beat me Natsu." The woman turned her tearful gaze away from the man. "What more could you possibly take from me besides my pride? Is it my body that you want?" The woman turned her tearful glare back at the man, who could only stare gobsmacked as both of his girlfriends stared at the interaction.

"Well colour me impressed." Amanda stated, a feral grin on her face as she turned to her boyfriend. Mara matched the grin and stared at the man as well.

"I suppose I am as well. To so effectively corner someone as she did to you... I like her." Mara mused.

"So now you know she set me up earlier?" Natsu asked, both women nodding before he spoke again. "Then does that mean I won't be getting punished?" He asked hopefully. Both women shared a glance with eachother before turning back to the man.

"I dunno..." Amanda spoke unsuredly, tapping her chin in thought. Mara adopted the same pose beside Mirajane.

"Yeah. We did say that you wouldn't be getting laid anytime soon, especially with you being so rude to this poor woman."

"But she set me up!"

"This poor woman!" Mara reiterated. "Was asking you to be nice, and you chose to be snarky. That's such a me thing to do." Mara spoke calmly before a feral grin took over her face. "And there's only room for one me. So I think until you remember that, my verdict will still be no sex."

"Amanda?" The man turned his hopeful gaze to his blonde lover, who was still thinking. The woman just turned her gaze to the man before shrugging.

"I got nothing, but this is kinda funny so I'm also gonna say no sex for a bit."

"This is so unfair!" Natsu groaned before turning his gaze to Mirajane. "You caused this, you fix it."

"I don't know what you mean." Mirajane spoke innocently, though Natsu could see the evil gleam in her eyes from when he was younger, and couldn't stop the feeling of despair in his gut as realization struck him. "But your situation does sound unfortunate. Too bad there's nothing I can do to help you."

"I can!" Everyone in the room turned to see the blushing Lisanna as she lie on her side, focusing on the four other occupants of the room.

"You hush!" Mirajane chided. "You don't even know what we're talking about, so don't go volunteering yourself!"

"Nonsense!" Lisanna spoke as she hopped off the bed. "You were all talking about Natsu no longer getting sex from either of you. I'll help with that." She smiled happily as she approached the group, squeezing her way between Amanda and Natsu. Mara looked to the younger Strauss with a smile on her face.

"Cute. Well then, little girl, how do you plan to convince Amanda or myself to sleep with Natsu once more?"

"I never said I was going to convince you." The white haired girl spoke, her eyes glinting dangerously. Mara and Amanda couldn't contain their shiver when Lisanna's smirk grew dangerous. "I merely said that I would help." And with those words, Lisanna turned and planted a fist as hard as she could in Natsu's gut, causing the unaware man to lose his breath and crumple over the woman's arm. Lisanna easily tossed the pink haired man over her shoulder and turned away from the group, walking her way towards the infirmary exit.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Amanda yelled as both her and Mara hopped in front of the white haired woman's path. Lisanna frowned at the two before patting Natsu on the back before setting him down.

"Don't go anywhere, Darling. I'll be right back with you in a moment."

"I think she ruptured something..." Natsu moaned as he slumped over.

"Why the hell are you taking our boyfriend, you psycho?" Amanda yelled. Lisanna huffed for a moment before turning to the blonde haired woman.

"My apologies." The woman spoke calmly. "But who are you?"

"I'm Amanda Holliday." The blonde ground out from between her teeth.

"And I'm Mara Sov." Mara spoke, her glowing purple eyes countering her calm tone as she glared at the Strauss.

"And that's our boyfriend." Amanda pointed at the slumped over guardian, who only groaned.

"Right... Right. I can see where you would be concerned." Lisanna spoke calmly, her tone full of false care. "But I can assure you that you have no reason to be concerned with the safety of your boyfriend. I'll take good care of him." Lisanna's smirk turned perverted as she gazed lovingly at the pink haired man.

"Who the hell even are you?" Amanda raged. Lisanna turned a coy smile to the two women.

"My name is Lisanna Strauss, and this man is my husband." The woman spoke simply. Mara and Amanda gasped.

Natsu vomited blood on himself.

"And look at him. He is injured and needs plenty of tender love and care." Lisanna gushed as she knelt down and wiped the man's mouth.

"But you injured him!" Amanda pointed out, only to be waved off by the white haired girl.

"Nonsense. Now come along, my love." Lisanna cooed as she hoisted the man once more over her shoulder with one arm. "Let's get you home and in to the bath... Get you nice and clean..." She let out a small perverse chuckle. "And then get lots of food in your belly and get you to bed."

"Now wait a moment!" Mara protested, once more getting in to Lisanna's way. "How can he be your husband when he was declared dead, and by all means he was, and gone for over four years?"

"I knew he wasn't dead." Lisanna fired back. "And I never stopped looking for him. A good wife knows deep in her heart how her husband is feeling, and right now my husband is finally in my arms once more, and he feels hungry and sleepy."

"But is he your husband?" Mara asked once more. Lisanna bit her lip before answering.

"Well... Not yet..." Lisanna huffed. "But once I get him back in to shape, he'll be so madly in love with me again that he'll propse to me on the spot and we'll be a mama and a papa again just like we were back then. And we'll have lots of babies... And even more practise in making them." The white haired woman swooned as she covered her deeply blushing cheeks once more. Mara and Amanda could only watch as the woman wobbled back and forth, murmuring to herself in a tone so hushed that she couldn't make it out before her eyes closed and she fell over, unconscious.

"What the fuck just happened?" Amanda asked in shock. Mara just stood by as equally dumbfounded.

"My sister just happened." Mira groaned. "She and Natsu were the cutest little couple back before he left. You should've seen them, they were just too adoable. Disgusting." Mirajane mumbled.

"Jealous?" Mara teased, only to blink in surprise when Mirajane didn't deny it.

"The two of them were inseperable. Lisanna loved Natsu from the moment she met him, and Natsu grew to love the girl back. They even have a son, or at least that's what Lisanna calls Happy. Speaking of, the little furball should be around here somewhere. Probably heard the news and is looking for Natsu as we speak."

"Happy's a cat, isn't he?" Mara asked. Mirajane nodded.

"Yup. Loves fish, is lazy, and calls Natsu and Lisanna his parents."

"That's cute." Amanda spoke quietly as she gazed at the sleeping white haired woman.

"Yeah. She took his death the hardest. Left on a trip with our strongest member for about a year before he sent her back to the guild. Since then, she's been looking for him, and getting stronger."

"How strong is she?" Mara asked as she stared at Natsu, who had vomited blood on himself once more.

"Strong enouogh to give me a run for my money if she wanted." Mirajane admitted. "You don't train with one of the strongest people on this continent for a year without picking a few things up. She seemed to get the man's super strength and his temper."

"Strong and angry?" Mara questioned. Mirajane nodded.

"It's why they call her Rampage. Once she gets going, nothing can stop her, or at least that was the case until Natsu got here. Now she's as dangerous as a kitten. Long as he's nearby, she'll be too busy trying to cater to his every need, 'Like a good wife should!'"Mirajane mimicked her sister in a higher pitch voice. "To be angry at anyone else."

"Any advice on how to handle her?" Amanda asked.

"Don't." Mirajane stated simply. "I know you guys can handle yourselves, but Lisanna has one hell of a mean temper, and it sits just below the surface. Always. Girl can act like the sweetest thing on the planet, and then you're being thrown across the city faster than you can question it. My best advice is either let her in on whatever you three got going, or hide Natsu wherever you can and then disappear. Now that she's seen him, the only way to keep her away would be to kill her."

"Don't you think you're being a little dramatic?" Mara asked, a delicate brow raised. The white haired woman scoffed as she turned her gaze to her sleeping sister.

"Nah. If she's anything like me, she won't give up until she gets what she wants." All three women turned when Lisanna let out a dark chuckle, her sleeping visage gaining an evil smirk. "And she's a lot like me." Mirajane smiled fondly. "Anyway, you three should leave before she gets up. I don't think Natsu can take another hit like that."

"Guardian down!" Specter chimed in, floating over the still form of Natsu.

"Did he die?!" Mirajane asked suddenly, her face even more pale. Mara and Amanda both nodded casually before Mara decided to speak.

"Yeah. Just give him a moment or two, and he'll be back in perfect shape." She spoke in a chipper tone. Mira stared for several moments before Natsu's body dissolved in to light particles and reformed next to her bedside. The man let out a gasp, a hand clenched over his gut while he wheezed for several seconds.

"You good?" Amanda asked, her eyebrows raised in surprise at the man's attitude. She remembers how nonchalantly the guardians at the Tower would jump to their doom for no other reason then to alleviate boredom.

In fact, she was sure there were a few times she watched Natsu do something similar.

"Yeah..." Natsu coughed before standing straight, rolling his shoulders before looking at the sleeping Lisanna. "It's just been a while since a single punch has killed me. They told me she was a monster, but this..."

"Are you badmouthing my sweet little sister?" Mirajane asked sweetly, her eyes shining dangerously as she smiled at Natsu. Natsu felt a shiver run up his spine as he looked the eldest Strauss.

"N-no!" Natsu spoke quickly. "I was merely stating that Lisanna has gotten really strong. She must get it from her sister." He raised both of his hands in surrender. Mirajane stared at him for a moment before turning away shyly form him, playing with her blankets.

"Really?" She spoke quietly, catching Natsu's gaze with her own from the corner of her eye. "You think I'm strong?" Natsu nearly smacked himself with how easily he just got played by someone he nearly beat to death.

"Y-yeah. You're super strong."

"And how are my looks?" Mirajane asked, doing her best to strike a sexy pose in front of the man. Natsu sighed internally.

She was good at this game.

"Go ahead, Natsu." The man turned to find Amanda glaring at him. "Tell her how she looks."

"Yes, do." Mara grinned ferally before pushing past the man and standing before the Strauss once more. Mirajane's alluring gaze turned to worry as she caught the predatory glare in Mara's gaze. "Tell her how delicious she looks, lying in this bed. All alone..." Mara leaned in, her face inches from Mirajane's. "And helpless to fight back..." Mara took a deep inhale of Mirajane's scent, moaning lowly as she took in the aroma of the eldest Strauss sibling.

"Okay, I'm sorry!" Mirajane squeaked. She turned her helpless gaze to Natsu. "Please call her off."

"What's the matter?" Amanda teased, taking in the shaking form of Mira. "Never been with a woman before?" Amanda nearly burst out laughing when the woman let out a shakey nod. "Don't worry, Mara won't hurt you." Amanda smirked when Mirajane let out a small sigh of relief. "But she will teach you so many things about yourself that you had no idea about."

"W-what?!"

"I didn't hear you complain about it that one time!" Mara snapped back, her arms crossed over her chest as she pouted.

"You could've at least warned me! One minute I'm having a good time, and the next, I have two fingers in my ass!" Amanda growled back. Mara's pout turned in to a smirk.

"You don't deny that you enjoyed it." She pointed out. Amanda had a deep blush on her face as she looked away.

"I'm not saying I didn't." She started weakly. "I'm just saying a little heads up next time you want to do something like that..." She turned around, her ears burning with how red they were.

"Then it wouldn't be a surprise." Mara snickered.

Mirajane was left gaping, blushing to the roots of her hair as her mind registered what it was that she had heard. Natsu was quick to break the silence.

"Where the fuck was I for this?!" He practically shouted. "Because I'm damn sure I would've remembered you two doing something like this."

"You were out on assignment from Zavala." Mara waved off his anger. "And Amanda and I got a little drunk one night, and we figured why not?"

"YOU figured why not." Amanda corrected, still not facing the group.

"And YOU were the one riding my face like a sparrow." Mara countered, enjoying the way that Amanda shrunk in to herself. She then turned her attention to Natsu. "And we were holding off on telling you just until we found out if we liked it or not."

"And?" Natsu asked.

"And I'm pretty 'meh' as far as it goes. I don't hate it, but I don't really like it either." Mara jabbed a thumb over to Amanda. "She loves it. Drives her up the wall and makes her scream some pretty vulgar things." Mara chuckled when Natsu scoffed. "Well, vulgar even for her anyway."

"Shut up!" Amanda groaned. "In case you haven't forgotten, we aren't alone in here!"

"Oh I know that." Mara spoke, her grin growing before pointing over to the floor where Lisanna now lay. "She had gotten up, and was sneaking up on us. Fainted right after you said 'fingers up the ass.'" Mara chuckled before turning her gaze over to the blushing Mirajane. "And she is a mix of stunned and interested."

"Am not!" Mirajane protested.

"Suuure." Mara snickered. "Well, we should get going. Natsu, call the shuttle and I'll meet you and Amanda outside."

"Whatever." Amanda spoke quickly as she hurried out of the infirmary. Natsu nodded and quickly made his own exit, sharing a glance with Mirajane before leaving the room. Mara turned a glance over to Lisanna.

"You can get up now."

Lisanna mumbled a few choice words but sat up nonetheless, a deep blush on her face. Mara then turned her gaze to the blushing Mirajane.

"What do you want now?" Mirajane sighed tiredly.

"Nothing much. I just thought I'd let you both know that there are openings for the position of Natsu's girlfriend." The Awoken woman spoke casually.

"What about you and Amanda?" Mirajane spoke quietly after a few moments of thought.

"We aren't going anywhere, my dear. Let's just say that Natsu has some very unique conditions, one of which requires him to have multiple mates. It's a condition of his powers. Amanda and myself have come to terms with it."

"So that means I can go to my husband?!" Lisanna cheered before standing up from her bed, only to be locked in place, enveloped by a deep purple glow.

"Not so fast!" Mara interrupted. "Just because we are okay with it, doesn't mean we're just going to let him shack up with anyone." Mara held a hand up before turning it, forcing Lisanna to lift in the air for a moment before turning to face her. "And that means you can't just walk up and inject yourself in to our relationship. From what he has told me, he's changed a lot in the four years that he's been gone. Before you just thrust yourself back in to his life, make sure that he's still the person you love."

"What do you mean?" Mirajane asked carefully, not sure she was going to like her answer.

"Living in that other universe forces you to change." Mara sighed. "It forces you to make decisions you never thought you would have to. What are your feeling on murder and executions?"

"Despicable." Mira spat. Mara sighed once more before speaking again.

"Then you should know that Natsu has executed at least three people from the other universe."

"No..." Mirajane protested weakly, but stopped when she saw Mara's gaze harden on her.

"Yes. It's true. Four men tried to assassinate Natsu by exploding one of his ships when he was supposed to enter it. The blast would have killed him, and there was something in place to prevent him from ever coming back."

"What stopped it?" Mirajane asked.

"Amanda." Mara stated plainly, letting Lisanna out of her hold. The youngest Strauss took a few breaths before looking at the Awoken woman.

"Can you explain that a bit better?" Lisanna asked. Mara nodded after a few moments of thought.

"Don't tell either of them that I told you, but the only reason that Natsu is still alive is because Amanda called Natsu's ship from storage for him. Ship came up as Amanda was moving for it, and then exploded. That's why she has the prosthetic leg." Mara turned her gaze to Mirajane, who winced.

"Sorry." She mumbled.

"It's not your fault you didn't know. It's just something personal, so don't go telling everyone about it."

"Okay." Lisanna spoke quietly.

"Anyway. Amanda loses her leg and ends up in the hospital. Her boyfriend and Natsu visit her constantly while the investigation is filed."

"I thought Natsu was her boyfriend." Lisanna interrupted. Mara shook her head.

"Not at the time. Natsu had vanished for three years, training with an order of fire wielders on another planet, and then with one of the most evil men to exist in history on the Moon. Anyway, he comes back to find Amanda with another guy, I think his name was Dan. Or was it Jack? Doesn't matter." Mara waved it off. "Natsu comes back to find her with someone else, and he just kinda loses his mind. Went off and butchered six men in the Crucible."

"What's that?" Mirajane asked.

"You saw how Natsu was dead and then he wasn't?"

"Yeah."

"Well the Crucible is a battle between a bunch of people just like that. Deathmatches. Usually pretty gorey stuff. Well Natsu went on to become a legend by winning a one on six fight. I think we have footage of it somewhere. The people who lost weren't happy, and a few of them planned to have Natsu killed. Well they got ahold of a man who worked in the hangars, that was corrupt."

"Who?" Lisanna asked.

"Amanda's boyfriend." Mara supplied, letting the two women gasp. "Natsu didn't find out until he got back to the planet after needing to go to a different planet to get the plans for Amanda's new leg. When he found out, it took almost every high ranked official to hold him back, and only a direct order from their leader stopped him. He was given the three men who contacted Amanda's ex boyfriend."

"And he killed them?" Lisanna asked.

"Yup. Officially, those three men went off on a patrol and never returned. Unofficially, Natsu painted a floor with their brains in some back alley shack."

"Brutal." Mirajane winced. "What about the ex boyfriend?"

"Funny thing about targeting somebody who is liked by the upper echelons of a military organization, when your shuttle explodes and you were the only person on board, nobody is going to investigate what caused the explosion."

"It all sounds so brutal." Mirajane winced, looking off to the side. Her gaze snapped back to Mara when the Awoken woman let out a laugh.

"That's nothing. I've killed more than my fair share of man and beast. I became the Queen of the Awoken not through birth, but through blood. The blood I spilled could run a river under my feet that would be meters deep."

"So what's your stand on killing?" Lisanna asked.

"I feel that it is something that any ruler or person in power must be familiar with. I'm sure even your guild master has caused death in some way or another. I have come to accept that I have killed before, and chances are that I will kill again. I will do whatever I must to punish those who dare to harm my family or friends. Any enemy of mine, is an enemy of my kingdom, and will be treated as such." Mara finished with a nod, her features firm. Lisanna and Mira both looked to one another.

"I guess that's just... wow." Lisanna finished weakly. Mara sighed and nodded.

"I get it, I really do, but I thought you should know what kind of person I am, as well as what kind of man Natsu is. He isn't a cold blooded killer, but don't expect him to pull his punches with anything too severe. He has killed before, and just like me, will likely kill again if the situation is severe enough. So does that tell you what kind of man he is?"

"I think I love him even more!" Lisanna exclaimed, breaking the serious mood instantly.

"What?" Mara asked dumbly.

"I didn't think it was possible to love him even more, but you have proven me wrong. Oh I can just imagine it now. Bandits had taken me hostage after surprising me. They plan to have their filthy way with me, but Natsu comes in, guns blazing, as he cuts a path right towards me. The bandit leader picks me up and uses me as a hostage, and is all like 'Drop your gun or I kill the girl!' and Natsu just stares at him for a moment before dropping his gun and stepping away from it. The man walks towards the gun and picks it up, not expecting me to suddenly jump away for Natsu to leap in and grab his gun back. There is a small struggle and then 'Bang!' and the leader falls dead. Natsu is there to untie me, and ask if I'm okay. He pets my face and tells me not to look at him because he thinks he's a monster, but then I take his hand and make him look at me and say 'You aren't a monster for saving the girl you love.' and then we kiss and get married and then get to the baby making part!" Lisanna shouted, throwing her arms out for embelishment. Mara and Mirajane just stared at the woman as her blush grew in size before she started wobbling from side to side before finally teetering over, unconscious.

"Is she always like this?" Mara asked.

"Not normally." Mirajane sighed. "I think Natsu coming back brought up that bubbly girl from way back then. She used to only faint once every few weeks when I'd tease her about babies."

"So what do you think about all of it?"

"I dunno. It's a lot to process, and I'm pretty sure I don't even like the guy like that."

"Neither did Amanda. According to Natsu, you act a lot like she did back then, minus the trying to murder him with a wrench constantly. All I'm saying is to give it time. He may grow on you."

"Why are you even telling me any of this?" Mirajane asked.

"I like you." Mara smiled back, before it turned mischevious. "And I wonder what you would sound like when you-"

"Mara, shuttle's here! Let's move!" Amanda's voice echoed in to the infirmary. The Awoken woman nodded before turning a grin to the blushing Mirajane.

"Goodbye, dear. I'll be keeping a very close eye on you." She turned her gaze to the fainted Lisanna. "Both of you. I'd love to see some sisterly love enter my bed chambers at some point."

"Why are you-" Mara waved off the blushing Strauss before whispering to the woman.

"In case you were wondering, he's a beast. It gets so hard and thick that I can't walk right for days..." Mara turned and walked out of the room quickly, leaving the blushing Strauss alone with her unconscious sister.

"Ohh yeaaah..." Lisanna mumbled as she rolled back and forth on the floor.

Nevermind the unconscious part.

* * *

"So, Parsix." Natsu spoke calmly to the kneeling Vandal. "Would you care to explain the Stealth Vandals, or shall I assume you are unable to hold control over my forces in my stead?"

"A necessary precaution, my Kell!" The Vandal spoke quickly. "You must see it from my perspective."

"Then explain your perspective." Natsu retorted. Parsix gulped loudly before inhaling.

"You claim this planet to be your home, but you spoke of the many battles you had partaken in over your years here. How, in good conscience, could I allow my Kell and his mates to wander in to danger without some form of protection?"

"Are you implying that I, as well as Mara and Amanda, could not do a fair enough job at protecting ourselves?" The pink haired man spoke lowly. Parsix shook his head quickly.

"Not at all, my Kell!" He spoke quickly. "I was merely operating on the thought that moving in to the unknown and not expecting danger could be perceived as arrogance, and arrogance all too quickly leads to death. Our house stands more united than ever under your leadership, but that would quickly fall apart. You are the force in place to keep everyone complacent. Your removal would lead to infighting that we can NOT afford, especially as we are perceivably the only Eliksni in this universe."

"You make many valid points." Natsu hummed, causing Parsix to raise his head. "I must admit that it was foolish of me as a Kell to leave without first consulting my Archon." Natsu smirked at the stunned expression on the Eliksni's face. "Did you think I had forgotten my promise? It is equally thanks to you that we are in the position that we are in, and everyone here shall be made aware." Natsu stood and waved at the kneeling Parsix to follow, which the Eliksni quickly did. They walked through several hallways before ending up once more in the hangar bay. Parsix gazed upon the gathered Captains and Vandals, as well as the Dregs, Shanks, and Servitors. All eyes snapped to the two figures, before the Captains took to a knee, the Vandals and Dregs following suit a moment later.

"I stand before you all as your Kell, and I feel pride upon looking at all of you. Just a year ago, you were all outcasts, seen as lower than scavengers. Today, we stand together, stronger than ever! I have been in negotiations with the King of the country of Fiore. We have agreed to begin exchanging information, as well as allowing minor amounts of immigration to occur. Soon, a select few Eliksni will be chosen to appear on the surface, and interact with the humans." Murmurs began to break out, and Natsu couldn't stop his frown when he heard that many of them were in the negative. "I can understand your feelings, as your interactions with humans thus far have been less than stellar." Natsu heard a snort and couldn't help his chuckle. "But are we not beyond that? These humans know nothing of the Traveler, nothing of the Light. They know not of the Reef Wars, and of Skolas. This is a new beginning, a fresh start, for all of us. No longer do you need to be the outcasts of the Eliksni, no longer must you wait around for scraps. You can begin once more, and restart the Eliksni as a name to be respected. You have in your hands the ability to create your own future, will you be so shallow as to deny yourselves this future out of your own hubris?"

The cries that rang out caused the ship to hum.

"I thought not. As your Kell, I am aware that many of you take issues with me leading, not as a question of strength, but as to the fact that I am also human. Many of you have stood with me on Mars and Venus, and have I proven myself to your house? Have I brought honor to the Wolves?"

Natsu felt pride at the cheers that resonated through his chest.

"I ask you not to trust the humans on this planet. Many will not trust you, and many others will try to use you. You are new, and humans are generally afraid of new things, afraid of change. I do not ask you to put your blind faith in to them. Instead, I ask you to trust me. Trust me to lead you to your paradise, away from war and conflict. Away from misery and suffering. Trust in me to lead you, to fight for you, and to die for you if need be. So I ask now, will you trust me?"

More cheers of affirmation rang out.

"I promise upon my very being that I will lead you to paradise. It will take some time, but it can be done. I have negotiations that eat up much of my time, but that is no reason to keep you locked on the ship. I have spoken with the Splicers, and they have found several locations uninhabited by humans on a far away continent that the Eliksni can occupy and build if they so wished. The land is plentiful with resources, and plentiful with food. It will be perfect for a home until I can better establish open relations with the surrounding nations. Much of my time will be taken in attempting this feat, and as such I will not be around to monitor all of our movements. As such, I will now bestow the position of Archon upon a worthy member of the house."

Many of the Captain's perked instantly, their glowing eyes locked on to Natsu.

"I have thought long on this decision, but in the end I could come up with none better for the position as my right hand than the Eliksni that brought me to you all. I have chosen Parsix as my Archon, for he knows my will better than most. I know that some of you will disagree, stating that your strength would be better suited to the position. The simple fact is that we are NOT at war. There is no need for the strongest to hold the postion of Archon, especially when we need logical thinkers more than we need warriors. That being said, I have decided to open up several other branches in the house that will need capable leader. I have plans to establish a Scouting Company who will search the land for resources and information, as well as several branches of different Combat Engineers. This house has gone far, but with proper organization, we stand to be the absolute strongest house there has ever been. I give this message to all of you before I depart for Earthland once more; hone your blades, train with your blasters, because I will only pick the best to lead my troops. Dismissed." The force all gave a salute to the man before dispersing from the hangar bay. Natsu turned over to Parsix, who could only cast a worried glance at the man.

"I am thankful for the position, my Kell, but are you sure it was wise to give it to me?"

"What do you mean?" Natsu questioned after a moment.

"You have elected a Vandal to a position that none other than a Captain have ever held. The Captains have taken notice, and I can sense the anger that some felt. The postion of Archon is one of the highest honor, and ensures that one's bloodline will continue on in the mating process."

"Ah." Natsu spoke calmly. "But that is where you are wrong."

"How so?" Parsix asked, his head cocked in confusion.

"You say that I handed the postion to you, but that is not true. You have earned this title, my friend. You have shown unwavering loyalty to myself, and have commited yourself fully to me. I trust you with my life, and trust you to understand what I would want in the occasion that I am not there. Who else would be better suited to the postion of my Archon if not you?"

"I... Am deeply flattered."

"Don't be. You've earned it."

"I.. Am unsure of the future, my Kell. My race has only known suffering for the last several centuries, and the prospect of peace is so... foreign. I fear that my kind may squander the opportunity."

"The thought had crossed my mind." Natsu admitted with a sigh as the two of them stared at the empty hangar bay. Natsu was not foolish enough to believe that his ascent to leadership was accepted without opposition. "I am aware that my strength is both respected and feared, and that is the reason that the Wolves follow me."

"But is that enough?" Parsix turned to the Kell. Natsu shook his head before responding.

"Not at all. Ruling through power and fear will do nothing more than breed disdain and loathing. That will soon lead to questioning authority and outright revolt. No, I understand that my foundation is shakey at best, but I have something on my side that works in my favor."

"What is that?" Parsix questioned. Natsu gave a gentle smile as he gazed out the hangar bay, seeing the sun cresting over the planet below him.

"Hope." Natsu sighed as he turned to Parsix. "I have the ability to hope, and that in turn will inspire the feeling in others. I have already proven to them that I can do what they deemed impossible." Natsu gesture out to the planet below him. "I have provided them the position of endless opportunity. I can not force them to take a peaceful route, but I can be the guide they need until enough of them see that peace is possible."

"It is a goal that will take time, my Kell." Parsix looked to his leader. "But I shall be with you every step of the way."

"That is all that I can ask, my friend." Natsu nodded in thanks. "I know that I have the loyalty of the Splicers, and with promoting you to Archon, I have the support of the Dregs and Vandals. The Captains, however, hold control of the Shanks and Servitors, and I can't be sure how many of them are on my side."

"The Stealth Vandals will likely side with you." Parsix said, contemplating for a moment. "But whether or not it is from loyalty or fear, I can not say."

"That is why I have you." Natsu spoke calmly. "I want you to find the best of the Stealth Vandals and promote them to leading the force. They are a specialized field of combat, and should be led by one of their own."

"What should be offered?" Parsix questioned, perking up at his first order.

"Plenty of ether, as well as a rank equalled to Captain. I want them to have full recruitment abilities. They have the most experience in their field, and I feel that they would be better suited to growing their own ranks."

"It will displease the Captain who is removed from the position. He will likely see it as a slight on his honor."

"Promote him to my royal guard."

"Are you sure that is wise?"

"No. It is likely that he will betray me and attempt to usurp my leadership in time."

"Then why?" Parsix asked, baffled.

"Because I expect him to." Natsu grinned. "I expect him to betray me, and with him so close to me, he will either come around to my side, or attempt my life."

"So you intend to keep him close so as to monitor him?"

"In a way." Natsu shrugged. "I believe he will be contacted by the resistance movement, if he isn't already a member. We can use this opportunity to feed them false information, and place ourselves in a favourable position."

"So you would basically be setting the field for any future conflict?"

"Precisely. I fully believe in peace, but I am not foolish enough to turn my back on a former enemy so easily."

"Do I fall in to that category?" Parsix asked, cautious of his Kell's answer.

"You forget that I shared my light with you." Natsu chuckled. "I've seen the depths of your soul, as you have seen mine. I wouldn't have let you get this close to me if I didn't trust you. Plus, I wouldn't know how to speak Eliksni if it wasn't for you."

"That is.. reassuring." Parsix spoke calmly. Natsu chuckled and clapped a hand on the Eliksni's shoulder.

"Don't worry. I trust you and your judgement. If possible though, could you find the alliance of the Stealth Vandals? I'd rather know for sure, and anyone who can turn invisible for an amount of time and specializes in stealth is not an enemy I'd like to leave unchecked."

"It will be done, my Kell!" Parsix saluted before leaving the Kell to his own musings. Natsu sat in silence for a moment before pulling his tablet from his belt and contacting Amanda. He stared at the screen for several moments before her face popped up.

"What's up?" She asked, seemingly more chipper than when they had first landed.

"Not much. You and Mara get all taken care of on her ship?"

"Yeah!" Amanda spoke happily before turning a glare to the man. "Why didn't we spend the week it took to get here on this ship that has been fitted for humans?"

"Uuuhh..." Natsu paused for a moment, his brain working in oversrive to figure out how to get out of this. "I uh... wanted to keep and eye on the Wolves to make sure they didn't take the opportunity to leave?"

"And why would that matter? Mara's ships are better equipped, stronger, and faster. Them leaving would be so minimal to everything that it wouldn't have mattered in about a month."

"I guess you got me." Natsu huffed. "It hadn't crossed my mind at the time."

"It's okay, just leave the big decisions to the women in your life next time."

"You two are my life." Natsu grinned slyly. He began to laugh when his girlfriend turned bright red and ended the call.

It was about five minutes later that he recieved a call from Mara. Answering it, he was happy to spot the confused gaze of Mara.

"What did you do to Amanda?"

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked innocently. Mara huffed before turning the camera towards a bundle on the bed. Natsu leaned in to get a better look, only to start laughing when he realized that he was looking at Amanda, curled in a ball and wrapped in blankets.

"What did you do to her?" Mara asked again. "I heard a loud curse, and then a squeal, and came in here to this."

"I told her that you were both my whole life." Natsu grinned when Mara's skin darkened before she too cut the call. Natsu laughed when he imagined how Mara was trying to rip the blankets from Amanda so that she may hide beneath them as well. Placing his tablet back in his belt, he began to walk towards his ship, running a hand along the smooth surface as he went, before climbing up in to the cockpit. He flipped several switches before the ship fired up and took off towards the planet.

Mara and Amanda would call him when they finished freaking out.

* * *

"So now what?" Natsu asked, his arms crossed as he stood next to Makarov, who was seated on top of the bar. The old man tossed his drink back before turning to the pink haired guardian.

"I dunno." He shrugged. "Maybe go on a job or something? I'd say take a vacation, but you just got back."

"True." Natsu huffed. He swept his gaze across the guild before his vision landed on Lucy, sitting alone at a table, and sighed. Pushing himself up from the bar, Natsu slowly made his way over to the blonde, who met his gaze before staring back down at the table.

"What do you want?" She sighed, having realized that anything to with Natsu was some sort of trouble.

"That's not very nice of you." Natsu replied as he took a seat across from her. "And here I thought someone from the esteemed Heartf-" He was suddenly silenced as she covered his mouth with both hands.

"Shhh!" She shushed him, eyes wide with panic. "Nobody... Nobody needs to know about that!" She forced out in a whisper. Natsu stared at the woman for a moment before nodding. "And if you must know, I'm kinda in a bad mood because I just got an apartment with the last of my money, and already have to stress about rent."

"Already?" Natsu asked, a single brow raised at the blonde. "You've only been here for like two weeks days. How is a full month's rent due if you haven't even been here that long?"

"It is a first and last month's rent thing." Lucy groaned. "I managed to convince the landlady to give me a pass for a week for the last month's rent, but that only prolongs my suffering. I need to come up with 75,000 jewels in the next week!" The blonde griped while slumping her head down on the table. Natsu hummed in thought for a moment before sighing and walking over to the job board. He persued the jobs, making sure not to break the focus of Nab, who hadn't seemed to have moved since before he was taken, and picked out an easy job. He snatched the flyer and walked over to the complaining blonde.

"How about this one? It's a simple smash and grab?" He handed the flyer to Lucy, who grabbed it and looked at the description.

"Break in to a mansion and destroy a book for... 400,000 jewels?!" She turned a manic glare to the man. "We're taking this one."

"That's why I got it. Half for me and half for you?"

"Sounds fair to me." Lucy smiled at the man. "So what do we do now? I'm pretty sure we can't just leave without telling anybody."

"Ah. Right. Well let me show you. When you pick out a job, you grab the flyer and take it to the bartender. They call the contact and establish that we have accepted the job. I'm sure that it goes across to any other guild this job was posted to that the job was taken so that they don't have mages wasting their time."

"That... Makes sense." Lucy paused in thought.

"Didn't you ever have to do something like that when you were private?" Natsu asked the blonde, a single brow raised. Lucy just gained a sheepish expresion and looked away from the man.

"Not really... I kinda just took the flyer and went to the contact." She admitted.

"That seems like you probably wasted a lot of time." Natsu hummed. Lucy nodded, a deep blush on her face.

"Most of the time, I got to the contact to find it had already been taken by an official guild. It was either that, or I would get asked to do something too cheap for a guild to pick up."

"Like?"

"Childrens' parties, serving tables at diners, helping cater parties."

"So you were basically a temp worker or party favor?" Natsu asked.

"And a janitor on a few occasions." Lucy sighed. "It never paid enough to settle down somewhere, but it did give me enough to keep moving."

"I take it your father is probably looking for you?"

"I would assume so." Lucy admitted, her downtrodden gaze turned to the wood flooring. "He doesn't like when he doesn't get his way, and me being gone has likely got him searching for me."

"And what if he finds you?" Natsu asked.

"I imagine that he'll send for me."

"And?"

"Probably try to pawn me off as an incentive for one of his business deals." Lucy growled. "It's why I ran away in the first place. He tried to marry me off to one of his business partner's sons. When I refused, he..." Lucy reached up and cradled her cheek.

"It's okay." Natsu spoke quietly. "I got the gist. You don't gotta finish that sentence."

"Thank you." Lucy spoke gratefully. "He didn't used to be like that. Back when my mom was alive, he was happy and friendly, and loved my mother and I. When she passed... I think I reminded him of my mother, and that hurt him..."

"It's no excuse." Natsu spoke lowly. "I could never imagine hurting anybody I love, let alone my own child, for any reason. To me, your father is a coward, who should pray that we never meet."

"You shouldn't joke about that." Lucy frowned at Natsu. "My father may not be a mage, but his money makes him one of the strongest men on this continent."

"That isn't an issue." Natsu shrugged. "What could his money buy that could hurt me? What could he buy that was more advanced or dangerous than what I have under my command," Natsu then brought out the Thorn and set it calmly on the table. "Or what is strapped to my hip? My point is that behind your father's money, is a frail and weak man."

"And without your army or weapons?" Lucy challenged back.

"I didn't nearly kill Mirajane with a gun, or my armour. That was the skill of violence and a will to kill that did that."

"A skill of violence?" Lucy mimed. "What does that even mean?"

"Means loverboy here spent months on end learning the most efficient ways to kill somebody." Both heads turned to see Amanda walking up to the table, a tray of chicken and mashed potatoes in hand. She took a seat next to Natsu and flashed him a small smile, before turning her attention to Lucy. "And if I'm remembering right, weren't you one of Shaxx's favorites?"

"He just liked me because of my fire." Natsu shrugged, sliding the Thorn off the table and back on to his hip.

"Not from what I heard." Amanda took a bite of chicken and smiled. "Tastes like mama's cooking... Anyway, from what I heard, Natsu was a bit too advanced for his combatives class, and had to fight the instructor. I heard you almost broke Shaxx's neck."

"I will admit I was a bit heated at the time, plus I didn't have full control over my new abilities."

"Umm..." Both people turned their attention to Lucy, who was trying her best to not seem confused. "Who is Shaxx?"

"Right... So you know how Mira and I fought?"

"Yeah."

"Well Shaxx was the guy in charge of those fights back where Amanda is from, and he was very strong."

"That's putting it lightly." Amanda snorted before turning back to Lucy. "He has only ever been beaten once, and that was by one of the leaders of the Vanguard. Natsu here almost brought him to pieces on his third week, and during a spar. Needless to say, Shaxx went a bit crazy and took to declaring Natsu his most cherished rival, especially after Natsu trained with an Iron Lord."

"Iron Lord?" Lucy asked, seemingly more confused. Natsu sighed.

"Super old, and super powerful warriors. Much more brutal in how they handled enemies. They're the equivalent to using lost magics, fluently."

"Oh." Lucy hummed. "So... Ummm... shall we get this job done?"

"Yeah." Natsu agreed. He leaned over and placed a kiss on Amanda's cheek, who only blushed before stuffing her mouth with mashed potatoes and moaning in delight, before standing up and waving to Lucy to follow him to the bar. The blonde quickly rose from her seat, waving to Amanda, who only grunted, before following after the pink haired man. She quickly caught up to the man as he spoke to Mirajane, who seemed to have a very disarming smile equipped as she spoke to the man.

"And why would you be taking our sweet, innocent, and curvey guildmate out on her first job? Trying to make a move?" Mirajane teased.

"Well it's not like you could take her." Natsu teased back. Lucy noticed Mirajane's smile tightened and she gazed at the man, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"I suppose you're right, but must it be you? Wouldn't you rather stay here, and wait for my little sister and Happy to return?" Mirajane giggled when Natsu paled. It had been a week since he had arrived back to the guild, and while his reunion with Happy had been tearful and heartfelt, Lisanna had capitalized on any moment she could to steal away the pink haired man. He swore up and down that he had bruising after Specter had revived him, though the youngest Strauss merely laughed it off as him needing rest before trying to steal away with him. Natsu quickly learned to let Mara or Amanda handle it, especially when he realized for a second time that her hits were strong enough to kill him and hurt enough for him to feel it after his revival.

"Are you sure you're not just trying to hog me all to yourself since you know Mara is back on the ship, and you've distracted Amanda with food?"

"Why would I? You aren't anything special." Mirajane huffed with a small dusting of pink across her cheeks.

"And yet this 'nothing special' handed you your ass on a silver platter." Natsu grinned when Mirajane's smile slowly began to crack in to a sneer. "Nope! You gotta smile and practise your manners. You remember the bet."

"Yes, of course!" Mira's smile returned, but Natsu could see the fury burning in her eyes. "How could I forget the bet when you also gave me such a beautiful dress to wear?"

"Glad you remembered." Natsu grinned before sliding the flyer to the woman. She snatched it from him and went in to the back. Ten minutes later, she emerged from the back and all but threw the flyer at the grinning man.

"Your job has been listed, and the contact has been notified. Have a safe trip." She spoke in a clipped tone.

"Of course." Natsu handed the job to Lucy, who quickly fled when she caught the attention of the eldest Strauss. Natsu watched her leave before turning back to Mirajane. "You really do look beautiful in that dress, and you have a very pretty smile." the man complimented gently before turning around and exiting after the blonde.

"That... That!"

"Idiot, right?" Mira whirled to see a grinning Amanda, an empty plate set before her on the counter. "He's got a weird way of doing that, getting in to places you don't want to let him in to. It's annoying, but also kinda endearing."

"Don't you care that he's flirting with another woman?" Mirajane shot back. Amanda merely shrugged while picking her teeth.

"He wasn't flirting. Man doesn't know how to. He was just being honest. Besides, Mara told me about the conversation she had with you, and I gotta say with how you cook, I'm coming around to like you too." Amanda grinned when Mirajane huffed, her blush reaching the roots of her hair.

"Don't I get a say in whether or not I want to be a part of your boyfriend's harem or not?"

"Not really." Mara chuckled with a shrug. "You just kinda happen to find out one day that you're so in love with him that you just want to stand by his side."

"And Mara?"

"Stands next to us, not in front or behind. She's part of my family, maybe not as high up as Natsu, but she's one of my most treasured people. After putting a lot of thought to it, I just kinda realized that her intentions weren't to steal him, but to follow him. Guy's got a way of making you believe in him."

"Yeah." Mirajane nodded slowly. "I suppose so."

"And I suppose I'm jealous of Natsu if he'll get to cup these luscious cans of yours!" Mirajane squealed when a pair of tanned hands roughly groped her. She latched on to the hands and flipped them, along with the owner of them, over her shoulder and in to the bar, breaking through the counter and all the way to make an indention of the now revealed Cana on the floor. The drunk was out cold before she knew what happened, but that didn't stop her from cursing loudly before turning to the gawking Macao and Wakaba.

"Look what you did Macao!" Mirajane snarled at the man.

"I didn't do shit!" The man shouted, only to pale when Mirajane turned a sinister smile to him.

"Yes you did, because it couldn't have been me. I'm sweet and gentle now, remember?" She turned a sharp gaze towards Wakaba. "Or is Wakabe going to go crazy next and put YOU in to the bar next to Cana? I wonder who will go crazy and put him in to the bar after you? This is an awfully long bar, and there are quite a few people here..." She smiled ominously.

"I'm sorry!" Macao snapped. "I'll get this cleaned up right away!" The two men both scurried away from the bar as quickly as they could. Mirajane huffed before turning her gaze to Amanda, who was trying her hardest not to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"I like you a lot more!" Amanda bellowed with laughter. "You got my seal of approval if you ever decide you want in on our shin-dig!" The woman turned away from the bar, still laughing as she walked out, leaving the stunned Mira, and unconscious Cana, behind her.

"Why is everyone so strange?" The Strauss complained to herself before looking taking the plate and moving it to the sink before resuming her bar duties.

Her year of this was going to suck.

* * *

I'm alive!

Yes I know it has been nearly two months, and that is a seriously dick move of me to not update this story in so long, but Destiny 2 dropped, and I couldn't put it down, and the my lease ran out without my landlord informing me and I never got the option to renew, so I had to find a place to... uhhh... live for a while. I'm staying on a friend's couch for a while, and typing this up when I can on an old laptop of mine. I should be getting a new place fairly soon, but these things take time to set up. I'll do my best to get a few chapters typed up so that I can just run down to the library or McDonalds to upload a chapter, but I can't make any promises.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and I'm sorry it couldn't be longer to make up for me being gone for so long, but shit happens and sometimes there ain't jack you can do to stop it. Very few times in your life will you just be able to sit back and say "The dice have been rolled and it's out of my hands what happens next." You just gotta work with what you get, and I'm making the best out of a shitty hand.

Read and review, let me know if I'm dead to you all yet or not, and I hope to update sooner than this time.

Hope to see you all again,

Temper


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